Wurster Sauce, or Worcester Sauce,is a fermented liquid seasoning made from seemingly incompatible ingredients by chemists John Willie Lee and William Henry Perrins, the founders of Lea & Perrins. Anchovies, which are used in the preparation of the sauce, are fermented in vinegar for 18 months before mixing and bottling in the city of Worcester, where the exact recipe is still kept in the strictest secrecy.
In this article we will look at the history of the creation of the sauce, its composition, benefit and harm, calorie content, variations, as well as the various dishes to which it is added.
History of creation
Ферментированный рыбный соус под названием The garum was the staple of the Greek-Roman cuisine and the Mediterranean economy of the Roman Empire. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century.
Origin of the original sauce recipe"Worchester" is still unclear. On the packaging it was originally written that the sauce came from a "recipe for a nobleman in the county." The company's founders also claimed that a certain Lord Markus Sandys, the former governor of Bengal, who had returned from India from the East India Company in the 1830s, had instructed them to recreate a special sauce recipe. Nonetheless, writer Brian Kaewo concluded in his privately published history of Lea & Perrins, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the plant in Midland Road, that no one Lord Sandys was ever the governor of Bengal or, as far as any records show, ever in India .
Также есть версия о неком капитане Генри Льюисе Edouardt (1788-1866), who was a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and served as deputy lieutenant of Carmarthenshire. It is believed that he brought the recipe home after a trip to India.
Today it is believed that Lee and Perrinsthey first tried to make the sauce in the 1830s, but it turned out to be not to their taste and was left in the basement of their pharmacy, and then completely forgotten. It was only after the barrels with the sauce were discovered and opened many months later that it turned out that the taste of the sauce improved, softened and looked like the one that is now known as Worchester sauce.
Directly the company Lea & Perrins wasfounded in 1837 and continues to be the leading global brand for the production of this sauce. In 1838, the first bottles of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce were made available to the general public.
The High Court ruled on July 26, 1876 thatLea & Perrins brand has no right to the name “Worcester Sauce” ”and therefore it cannot be a trademark. The company claims that it is their sauce that is original, but other brands offer similar recipes.
October 16, 1897 Lea & Perrins Movedproduction of sauce from its pharmacy to a plant in the city of Worcester on Midland Road, where it is still produced. The plant produces finished bottles for domestic sales and concentrate for bottling abroad.
Application
What is Worchester sauce used for? It is a complex and specific product in taste and aroma. It is often used in recipes to improve various dishes and drinks.
For example, it is an ingredient in suchdishes like: Welsh croutons with cheese, Caesar salad, Kilpatrick oysters, chilli con carne, beef stew or other beef dishes. The sauce is also often added to the Bloody Mary and Caesar cocktails for flavor.
- The Worcester sauce can serve as an alternative to soy sauce if you want to update the marinade recipe and add new flavors. It is suitable for tofu, meat or poultry.
- The sauce enhances and complements the aroma of complex meat dishes. For example, it can be a stew and even simple grilled hamburgers.
- This sauce can also be used in soup. It perfectly helps to reveal the taste of chili and other thick soups.
Try adding this sauce to your usual dishes, and your taste buds will undoubtedly be pleasantly surprised.
Composition
Ingredients that are listed on a traditional bottle of Worcester sauce sold in the UK:
- Barley Malt Vinegar.
- Sugarcane vinegar.
- Molasses.
- Sugar.
- Salt.
- Anchovies.
- Tamarind extract.
- Bow.
- Garlic.
- Spices.
- Flavors (soy sauce, lemons, pickles and peppers).
The anchovies that make up the sauce often cause concern for people who are allergic to fish, vegetarians, vegans and those who, for one reason or another, avoid eating fish.
What to replace the sauce "Worcester"? Instead, you can use soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. There are many alternatives on the market today.
Caloric value
Per 100 grams calorie sauce "Worcester" in its classic version is 78 calories.
The distribution of the main macro-and micronutrients:
- 0 g fat.
- 0 g of protein.
- 19 g of carbohydrates (of which 10 g of sugar).
- 980 mg of sodium.
- 800 mg of potassium.
- 107 mg of calcium.
- 13 mg of magnesium.
- 13 mg of vitamin C.
- 5.3 mg of iron.
- 0 mg of cholesterol.
Benefit
The Worcester Sauce adds flavor to dishes fromchicken, turkey, beef, pasta and salads, but the taste of dishes - not the only advantage that he has. The sauce contains vitamins that can help improve health. Let's see what kind of benefit the addition to the в Worcester ’sauce can bring.
- The sauce has the ability to activatethe immune system, as it contains vitamin B6 (molasses, garlic, cloves and chili). Vitamin helps build red blood cells and maintain healthy nervous system.
- Дополнительным преимуществом является здоровая leather. Some of the ingredients in the sauce (anchovies, cloves and chili pepper extracts) contain vitamin E, which also boosts the immune system. They act as antioxidants that provide protection against aging, improve the appearance of the skin and control hair loss.
- The sauce is made with ingredients containingvitamin C, such as garlic, onion, cloves and chili. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that can help prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Younger skin is another consequence, since vitamin C is involved in the production of collagen, which is the main part of connective tissue.
- Vitamin K provides protection against hemorrhage.It is especially useful for women who have heavy menstruation, as it helps to reduce the amount of blood lost. Also, vitamin K helps to stop the destruction of bone tissue. Products from the sauce containing vitamin K are anchovies, cloves and chili peppers.
- Niacin from anchovies helps in digestion, normalizes the condition of the joints in people suffering from osteoarthritis.
- Thiamine, contained in onions and chili peppers, benefits the nervous system and promotes healthy thinking. It can also help those suffering from seasickness.
Harm
Despite the fact that the sauce has undoubtedbenefit, it contains ingredients that can cause allergies. Therefore, people who are allergic to anchovies or gluten should exclude this sauce from their diet or look for a safe substitute.
Also, the excessive content of sugar and salt in some variations of the Worcester sauce does not allow it to be attributed to an exceptionally useful product. The most important thing is to know the measure and not abuse it.
Variations
Today on the market there are a large number of variants of sauce "Worcester", the composition - for every taste. Below are some of them.
- Gluten free.The popularity of gluten-free diets may be one of the reasons why the American version of Worcester sauce is made using distilled white vinegar rather than malt vinegar, which contains gluten.
- Vegetarian. Some versions of the sauce are vegetarian and may have anchovy-free ingredients.
- Low sodium.Lea & Perrins and some other brands produce lower sodium versions. They are intended for people with high sodium in the blood or for those who do not like very salty sauces.
- Домашний соус.It is relatively easy to make your own sauce at home, but it includes a long list of ingredients. But you can experiment and cook your perfect sauce.
Analogs in other countries
Different countries have their own characteristics of production and use of sauce, consider some of them.
- In Denmark, the Worcester sauce is commonly known as the “English sauce”.
- The sauce is extremely popular in El Salvador, whereMany restaurants have bottles with it on each table. More than 120,000 gallons are consumed annually, which is the highest per capita consumption in the world.
- American version ("Worchester" sauce on the photoabove), unlike the British, is packed in a dark bottle with a beige label and wrapped in paper. This practice was a measure of protection for bottles in the 19th century, when the product was imported by ships from England.
- Interestingly, the version of the sauce sold in the USdifferent from the British recipe. It uses distilled white vinegar, not malt. In addition, it has three times more sugar and sodium. This makes the American version of the sauce sweeter and saltier than that sold in the UK and Canada.
- В Японии есть своя версия соуса, которая, в Unlike the Worcester sauce, it is completely vegetarian. This sauce is known as "Tonkatsu Sauce" and is most often used as a condiment for the Tonkatsu dish of the same name - fried pork chops in breading. It is believed that both the dish and the sauce were taken over from English cuisine brought to Japan in the 19th century.
Outcomes
So, we reviewed the history of creation, composition, benefit, harm and caloric content of the "Worcester" sauce. Now you know how to improve the taste of your favorite dishes with it.
