So tell me, if you can (without looking in your kitchen or online), what the ingredients are in a bottle of Worcestershire Sauce. Partial answers accepted and bonus points given for the correct pronunciation of said sauce.
OK, I know you've all been on the edge of your seats waiting for the answer... anyway, here it is. My bottle of Worcestershire sauce lists the following ingredients: distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, anchovies, tamarind, natural flavor. And, yes, whole anchovies are used, all of which disintegrate into the sauce during its 2 year fermentation due to the vinegar content.
However, the original brand of Worcestershire sauce, Lea and Perrins, lists theirs like this: vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, cloves, natural flavorings, chili pepper extract. (The version sold in Britain uses malt vinegar.)
And other brands can include a wide variety of other things such as: lemon oil, soy, coriander, walnuts, brandy, mushrooms, mace, sherry, etc. Author Jason Earls describes some of the surprises he found when he got curious about Worcestershire sauce. "...The overall salient ingredient is something called 'asafetida,' also known as "devil's dung." (You can see why most labels do not list this name, which comes from the spice's foul aroma - when stored in a container, asafetida must be air tight so people don't get nauseous from inhaling it.)
Asafetida is a bitter spice slightly similar to garlic that comes from a tall plant shaped similar to a carrot. Only a tiny amount of asafetida is used in Worcestershire sauce because of its extremely bitter taste, which lessens with the cooking process. Asafetida is also thought to aid digestion, reduce flatulence, and help with cases of bronchitis and asthma. Strangely enough, wolves like the smell of asafetida; and fisherman also use it to attract pike and catfish.
But anchovies and asafetida are not the only unusual ingredients in Worcestershire sauce. Guess what else it has? Meat. That's correct. William Poundstone says in his book, Big Secrets, that either beef extract or actual pork liver is commonly added to most brands of Worcestershire sauce. And many of the major manufacturers do not admit this on their labels, although some of the lower brands will. For some reason, the big Worcestershire companies aren't too proud of adding beef or liver to their sauces."
There you have it- and I still think it's a good condiment. Oh, and the bonus answer: WOOS'-ter-shîr, or thereabouts.
4 comments:
Hmm...soy sauce for sure. Beyond that, maybe some garlic and oil??? I'm trying to think if any vinegar would be an ingredient.
Pronunciation: "Wur-schter"
If I remember right from "Salt: a World History", it has anchovies in it. I think its got tamarind too, like HP Brown Sauce does.
My source is the same as Dave's, and I quite liked the book. Also good is "The History of Cod." If I remember correctly, the fish component at least, if not the whole kit and kaboodle, is fermented. I think there is also molasses and cloves and vinegar. Tamarind sounds possible. I don't think there is any soy sauce in there is there?
I don't think there is all the fish and soy sauce. I do think there is tamarind, vinegar and maybe some fruit extracts. I think it is pronounced Woostershure. It is my favorite flavoring sauce in gravy, stew, pot roast, Chinese food or on a burger.
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