 Worcestershire sauce in a dish | |
| Alternative names | Worcester sauce |
|---|---|
| Type | Condiment |
| Place of origin | Worcester, England |
| Created by | |
| Main ingredients | |
Worcestershire sauce orWorcester sauce[1] (/ˈwʊstər(ʃər)/ ⓘWUUST-ər(-shər)) is afermentedliquidcondiment invented by pharmacistsJohn Wheeley Lea andWilliam Henry Perrins in the city ofWorcester inWorcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century. The inventors went on to form the companyLea & Perrins.[2] Worcestershire sauce has been ageneric term since 1876, when theHigh Court of Justice ruled that Lea & Perrins did not own atrademark for the name "Worcestershire".[2][3]
Worcestershire sauce is used directly as a condiment on steaks, hamburgers, and other finished dishes, and to flavourcocktails such as theBloody Mary andCaesar.[4] It is also frequently used to augment recipes such asWelsh rarebit,Caesar salad,Oysters Kirkpatrick, anddevilled eggs.[2] As both a background flavour and a source ofsavouriness, it is also added to dishes such asbeef stew andbaked beans.[5][6]
Fish-based fermented sauces, such asgarum, date back to antiquity. In the seventeenth century, English recipes for sauces (typically to puton fish) already combined anchovies with other ingredients.[7]
TheLea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and was the first sauce to bear the Worcestershire name.[8][2] The origin of the Lea & Perrins recipe is unclear. The packaging originally stated that the sauce came "from the recipe of a nobleman in the county". The company has also claimed that "Lord Sandys, ex-Governor ofBengal" encountered it while in India with theEast India Company in the 1830s, and commissioned the localpharmacists (the partnership of John Wheeley Lea and William Perrins of 63 Broad Street, Worcester) to recreate it.[2] However, neither Marcus Lord Sandys nor any Baron Sandys was ever a Governor of Bengal, nor had they ever visited India as far as available records indicate.[9]
According to company lore, when the recipe was first mixed, the resulting product was so strong that it was considered inedible and the barrel was abandoned in the basement. Looking to make space in the storage area some 18 months later, the chemists decided to try it and discovered that the long-fermented sauce had mellowed and become palatable. In 1838, the first bottles of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce were released to the general public.[3][10]
The ingredients vary by manufacturer but often include vinegar; salt; a sweetener such as sugar ormolasses; aromatics such as garlic, shallots, or onions; soy sauce; and fish orfish sauce.[2] Some formulations may includetamarind,umeboshi or other pickles, chili peppers, citrus, or spices such ascloves.[2]
Several anchovy-freevegetarian andvegan varieties are available for those who avoid,[11] or are allergic to, fish.[12] TheCodex Alimentarius recommends that prepared food containing Worcestershire sauce with anchovies include a label warning of fish content, although this is not required in most jurisdictions. TheUS Department of Agriculture has required the recall of some products with undeclared Worcestershire sauce.[13][14] Generally, Orthodox Jews refrain from eating fish and meat in the same dish, so they do not use traditional Worcestershire sauce to season meat.[15] However, certain brands are certified to contain less than1/60 of the fish product and can be used with meat.[16][17]
Althoughsoy sauce is used in many variations of Worcestershire sauce since the 1880s,[citation needed] it is debated whether Lea & Perrins has ever used any in their preparation. According toWilliam Shurtleff's SoyInfo Center, a 1991 letter from factory general manager J. W. Garnett describes the brand switching tohydrolyzed vegetable protein during World War II due to shortages.[3] As of 2021, soy is not declared as an ingredient in the Lea & Perrins sauce.[18]
TheLea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and continues to be the leading global brand of Worcestershire sauce.[8]
On 16 October 1897, Lea & Perrins relocated manufacturing of the sauce from their pharmacy in Broad Street to a factory in the city ofWorcester on Midland Road, where it is still made. The factory produces ready-mixed bottles for domestic distribution and a concentrate for bottling abroad.[19]
In 1930, the Lea & Perrins operation was purchased byHP Foods, which was in turn acquired by theImperial Tobacco Company in 1967. HP was sold toDanone in 1988 and then toHeinz in 2005.
Some sizes of bottles sold by Lea & Perrins in the United States come packaged in dark glass with a beige label and wrapped in paper. Lea & Perrins USA explains this practice as a vestige of shipping practices from the 19th century, when the product was imported from England, as a measure of protection for the bottles.[20] The producer also claims that its Worcestershire sauce is the oldest commercially bottled condiment in the U.S.[21] The ingredients in the US version of Lea & Perrins also differ somewhat, in that the US version (which include distilled white vinegar, molasses, sugar, water, salt, onions, anchovies, garlic, cloves, tamarind extract, natural flavourings, and chili pepper extract[22]) replaces the malt vinegar used by the UK and Canadian versions withspirit vinegar.[23]
In Brazil and Portugal, it is known asmolho inglês ('English sauce').
In Costa Rica, a local variation of the sauce isSalsa Lizano, created in 1920 and a staple condiment at homes and restaurants.
Worcestershire sauce, known assalsa inglesa ('English sauce') orsalsa Perrins ('Perrins sauce'), is very popular inEl Salvador. Many restaurants provide a bottle on each table, and the per capita annual consumption is 2.5 ounces (71 g), the highest in the world as of 1996.[24]
A sweeter, less salty version of the sauce calledWorcestersauce Dresdner Art was developed in the beginning of the 20th century inDresden, where it is still being produced. It contains smaller amounts of anchovies. It is mostly consumed in the eastern part of the country.[25]
In Mexico, it is known assalsa inglesa (English sauce).[2]
Holbrook's Worcestershire sauce was produced in Birmingham, England from 1875: today only the Australian subsidiary survives. Holbrook's Worcestershire sauce remains very popular in Australia where it is a staple in many households.[26][27]
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is sold in the United States byKraft Heinz[2] following the Kraft & Heinz merger in 2015.
Other Worcestershire sauce brands in the United States includeFrench's, which was introduced in 1941.[28]
It is commonly namedsalsa inglesa ('English sauce') and is part of many traditional dishes such asHallacas (a traditional Christmas dish) and some versions ofAsado Negro.[29]
Some "Worcestershire sauces" are inspired by the original sauce but have deviated significantly from the original taste profile, most notably by the exclusion of fish.
Gy-Nguang (Thai:ไก่งวง) Worcestershire sauce has been produced since 1917.[30] It relies on soy sauce instead of anchovies for the umami flavour. The company makes two versions: Formula 1 for Asian taste, and Formula 2 for international taste. The two differ only in that Formula 2 contains slightly less soy sauce and slightly more spices.[31]
In Japan, Worcestershire sauce is labelledWorcester (rather thanWorcestershire), rendered asウスターソース (Usutā sōsu). Many sauces are more of a vegetarian variety, with the base being water, syrup, vinegar, puree of apple and tomato puree, and the flavour less spicy and sweeter.[32]Japanese Agricultural Standard defines Worcester-type sauces byviscosity, with Worcester sauce proper having a viscosity of less than 0.2poiseuille, 0.2–2.0 poiseuille sauces categorised asChūnō sōsu (中濃ソース), commonly used in Kantō region and northwards, and sauces over 2.0 poiseuille categorised asNōkō sōsu (濃厚ソース); they are manufactured under brand names such as Otafuku and Bulldog, but these arebrown sauces more similar toHP Sauce rather than Worcestershire sauce.
Tonkatsu sauce is a thicker Worcester-style sauce made from vegetables and fruits and associated with the dishtonkatsu.[33][34]
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Worcestershire sauce has a history of multiple introduction in Chinese-speaking areas. These sauces, each differently named, have diverged both from the original and from each other:
On 1 April 2025, theUniversity of Gloucestershire issued a tongue-in-cheek press release announcing a temporary ban on Worcestershire sauce across its campuses ahead of a Varsity competition against theUniversity of Worcester. The ban was a light-hearted act of sporting rivalry intended to rally student support and generate social media engagement.[41]
History of Worcestershire Sauce (1837-2012) Shurtleff, William (2012), ISBN 9781928914433, Soyinfo CenterGoogle Book, free to read
上海人的炸猪排裹了厚厚的金黄色面包粉，外脆里嫩，完全不似现在的炸品那么油腻张扬，很多人吃之前上面略微浇一点口感带微酸的辣酱油，这也是上海人独有的吃西餐的诀窍。[The Shanghainese pork chop is heavily breaded in golden-yellow powder, crispy outside while tender on the inside, completely unlike the flagrantly oily fried food of today. Many people add a splash of slightly sour "spicy soy sauce" before eating, a western dining trick specific to the Shanghainese.]
此汁於二十世紀傳至中國廣東，並把英國人俗稱為Catsup的Worcestershire Sauce，直譯成喼汁，自此喼汁成為廣東人對Worcestershire Sauce的專用名詞。[This sauce is brought to Canton in the 20th century. The colloquial name "catsup" was directly [phonetically] translated into "gip-sauce", the Cantonese proper noun for Worcestershire Sauce ever since.]
於是,這英國產物真正融入我們的飲食,無論你吃春卷、山竹牛肉,總有支喼汁在旁,或許我們接觸到最西化的 喼汁用法,就是把它加入雞尾酒 Bloody Mary。[So this English product truly blended into our [Hong Kong] diet, with a bottle of gip-sauce next to us whenever we eat spring rolls and steamed meatballs. Probably the most westernised way to use this sauce we see in everyday life is the Bloody Mary cocktail.]
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