The British, who discovered this unique product to the world, call it nothing more than “the sauce of Lucullus feasts,” without which even the most luxurious meal will seem poor and tasteless.

A little history

In 1837, a native of the English county of Worcestershire, Lord Marcus Sandys returned to his homeland from the Indian colonies and brought with him the recipe for his favorite spicy sauce. He turned to local pharmacists William Perrins and John Lee with a request to reproduce this oriental seasoning for him.

However, the resulting mixture had nothing in common with the prototype, and Sandis flatly refused to take it. The failed sample was hidden in the basement and forgotten about for two years. We discovered the product by accident when we were cleaning out the pharmacy warehouse, throwing out the accumulated garbage. The wooden barrel of sauce suffered the same fate, but fortunately for gourmets around the world, Lee and Perrins wanted to try their “bitter” culinary experience again. Imagine their surprise when they discovered that the seasoning had acquired a unique, very pleasant taste and aroma.

It is from this moment that the history of Worcestershire sauce begins. The pharmacists bought the original recipe from a noble customer and patented it under their own name. To this day, the Lea & Perrins brand is considered number one among producers of sophisticated seasoning.

The legendary Worcester has many secrets. Manufacturers keep its exact recipe a strict secret, revealing only 25 of the 40 or even 50 ingredients, but each component makes the taste of the final product unique. You can appreciate the beauty of dishes seasoned with “true English” sauce only by trying the original.

Composition and taste

Culinary experts unanimously assure that Lord Sandys's colonial gift has no analogues in world cuisine. The rich bouquet of the sauce reveals itself gradually, affecting different taste buds, so it is difficult to describe it in two words.

The strongest notes in the seasoning are sour and sweet, as well as the spicy aroma of fermented fish. It is difficult to replace Worcestershire sauce in dishes - its taste is too multifaceted compared to other dressings.

Many housewives try to make a fragrant mixture on their own, however, first of all, you should familiarize yourself with the list of ingredients that are included in the classic English (or is it Indian?) recipe.


So, the main components are:

• fermented anchovies (small fish from the herring order, slightly reminiscent of the familiar sprat)
• malt vinegar (made from barley grains, has a pleasant aroma, enhances and emphasizes the taste of dishes)
• sugar, or in the American version corn syrup
• Molasses (or blackstrap molasses) is a product obtained from the processing of sugar cane

Manufacturers do not reveal all the spices added to the sauce, so we will list only those that are indicated on its label.

• Tamarinds are a type of date from India.
• onion: onion or shallot
• horseradish and celery roots
• ginger
• Bay leaf
• pepper: black, chili and allspice
• Bay leaf
• curry mixture
• nutmeg
• asafoetida
• garlic
• lemon juice
• tarragon
• meat extract – aspica

What do you eat the sauce with?

In general, traditional English cuisine, which cannot boast of variety and sophistication, was significantly enriched with the advent of the spicy mixture of Lee and Perrins. Now Worcestershire is added to most meat dishes, including roast beef, steak or stew, flavored with hot appetizers and sandwiches, and used for fish marinades.


Salads and vegetable casseroles are also rarely complete without this component.

Attention!

The sauce is a highly concentrated product, so it is used only in small doses: 2 – 3 drops per standard serving.

In dishes, Worcestershire plays a supporting role, delicately emphasizing without interrupting the taste of the main products. It is often included in multi-ingredient dressings, along with soy sauce or Tabasco, olive oil, garlic and pepper.

Homemade recipe

Of course, we will not be able to accurately reproduce the branded factory seasoning. This requires large volumes of raw materials, oak barrels, special conditions aging and long shelf life.

However, it is quite possible to create a worthy alternative, which will become a decoration of the family menu - perhaps.

Let's try to make homemade Worcestershire sauce, the recipe of which is as close as possible to the classic one.

We will need:

• 1 onion (medium size)
• 100 g sugar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. l. mustard seeds
• 1 anchovy fish
• 1 small ginger root
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp. l. tamarind paste
• ½ tsp: curry and cardamom
• ¼ tsp. hot red pepper
• 1 tsp. carnation flower buds
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp each allspice and black peppercorns
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups 9% vinegar
• ½ glass of water
• fine salt (preferably sea salt)

Preparation

1. Peel the onion and marinate for 30 minutes. in vinegar, then cut into cubes.
2. Pass the prepared garlic through a press or chop it by hand. Then also sprinkle with vinegar.
3. Place our onion, garlic and all the spices listed above, except curry, in a bag made of thick gauze and tie it well so that they do not fall out during cooking.
4. Pour vinegar into the pan, add sugar, tamarind paste and soy sauce, mix thoroughly and put on the stove. Add a bag of spices to the mixture. First, cook the mixture over high heat, and after boiling, reduce it to a minimum and simmer the base for the sauce for about 45 minutes.
5. In a separate container, combine water, finely chopped fish, salt and curry powder. After cooking the seasonings, add this mixture to them, stir everything together and immediately remove from heat.
6. Pour the resulting sauce into a glass jar, put the bag in there and close the lid tightly. After cooling, the mixture must be placed in the refrigerator.
7. For 2 weeks, we take the bag of spices out of the solution every day and squeeze it out, after which we mix the contents of the jar well.
8. After 14 days, our sauce will be ready. We take out the bag of spices - we no longer need it, and pour the infused mixture into small bottles or jars, preferably made of dark glass.

Attention!

Store Worcestershire sauce homemade It is necessary in the refrigerator, shaking occasionally, as it has sediment. You can focus on the shelf life of the factory seasoning - 1.5 years, but usually the product is used up in a few months.

How to choose the right Worcestershire and what you can replace it with in dishes

Housewives who manage to cook Worcestershire with their own hands can congratulate themselves - they, without a doubt, were able to rise to the heights of culinary art.

But this seasoning requires so much effort and includes so many exotic, expensive components that a logical question arises: might it be better to buy it ready-made in a store?

The idea seems quite reasonable, but how not to make a mistake with the choice?

The most popular manufacturers

Important: Original Worcestershire sauce is sold only under the Lea & Perrins brand. Other manufacturers, and there are many of them today, have different compositions and do not have such a rich taste.

Currently, the Lea & Perrins brand is owned by the American company H.J. Heinz." This manufacturer also produces its own Worcestershire sauce, which is somewhat inferior in quality to its British counterpart.

The cost of the product in a branded bottle with the inscription Lea & Perrins, with a volume of 290 ml, is 330 rubles. Since the sauce is added to dishes in small portions, it lasts for a long time, even with active use.

Japan has its own “English sauce”, which is similar to the original except in name. It consists of vegetable and fruit components, without fish and meat extract. This option is suitable for vegans and vegetarians, but for those who want to know the real taste of Worcestershire, this mixture is not worth buying, although it is cheaper than Heinz products.

How to replace Worcestershire sauce in Caesar salad dressing

Lee and Perrins' invention is not a product that can be found in your local supermarket. Many dishes can be prepared without it, but, for example, Caesar salad will lose greatly in this case.


You can try the following dressing, which will create a similar taste sensation:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. mustard
• juice of half a lemon
• ¼ tsp. balsamic vinegar
• a few drops of Thai fish sauce and Tabasco
• 3 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 3 – 4 anchovies (can be replaced with spicy salted sprat)
• Salt (preferably sea salt) and a mixture of peppers to taste

Preparation

1. Add 1 tbsp to boiling water. l. vinegar, reduce heat and carefully pour in a raw, very fresh egg. After 4 minutes, remove it with a slotted spoon and cool it in ice water.
2. Beat the resulting poached egg in a blender with mustard, Tabasco sauce and lemon juice. Gradually add olive oil, bringing the mixture to the consistency of thick sour cream.
3. Add finely chopped fish and beat everything again.
4. Pour in the balsamic, a Thai seasoning, and then season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

This is a worthy replacement for classic Worcestershire sauce.

You can make a very simple seasoning using more accessible and inexpensive ingredients. It is far from “Worcester” with its numerous components, but the taste will be pleasant, piquant and original. Shall we try?

We will need:

• ½ cup natural apple cider vinegar
• 50 g each of water and soy sauce
• ¼ tsp each garlic and onion powder, the same amount of mustard
• half a root of fresh ginger (grated)
• 1-2 tbsp. l. cinnamon
• sugar and salt to taste

Preparation

1. Mix all the ingredients in a thick-bottomed saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
2. After the sauce has cooled, store it in the refrigerator, pouring it into small glass containers. Before use, the mixture is allowed to brew for 10 - 12 days.

“Worcester” is one of those seasonings that you definitely need to have in your culinary arsenal. If you can’t buy a factory-made product, you should prepare it yourself to add an exotic touch of haute cuisine to your usual home dishes.

What's stopping us from trying? Even if performed unprofessionally, the “Worcester” will be magnificent. In short, let's start cooking!

Useful video

This material perfectly complements the article about the sauce, be sure to check it out:

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Among all the existing varieties of spices and food dressings, a mysterious and piquant sauce, made in England more than 180 years ago, occupies a special place in cooking. Worcestershire sauce, which is also called Worcestershire and Worcestershire.

This is a special seasoning, the exact composition and manufacturing process of which still remains a mystery to culinary experts; its original taste and multifaceted composition appeared thanks to a recipe that an English lord took from a cook in Bengal, where such spices are common.

Despite the complex composition of the dressing, its analogue can be created at home and you will experience the bright and incomparable taste and aroma of Bengal spices.

Worcestershire is a famous traditional addition to meat dishes in English cuisine. Many spice manufacturers continue to experiment with the composition to achieve the legendary exquisite taste, but few of them are able to recreate all the nuances.

The product is considered almost universal and has already become part of the traditional cuisine of countries such as Greece, America, Canada and Spain: it is added to salads and fish dishes, meat marinades and even drinks. It is believed that the main secret of the rich taste is long aging in an oak barrel.

Worcestershire sauce can be purchased at many supermarket chains, some of which even provide a vegetarian option without the anchovies. To avoid purchasing a fake, it is better to give preference to the Lea & Perrins brand - the oldest on the market.

The seasoning is economical to use, since it is not added to food in large quantities: for a salad, for example, a few drops are enough. The taste is very piquant, but since the components in the composition often vary depending on the manufacturing companies, the flavors may vary slightly. Typically the overall taste is sour, with sweet notes and a fishy aftertaste.

A little history of the creation of Worcestershire sauce

Controversy over how the product was first made in England and reached international market, have not subsided to this day, although there are two most likely versions.

First was outlined by Thomas Smith in the 7th edition of the book “Successful Advertising”. The bottle's label states that Worcester is made "according to the recipe of one of the noble men of the county." The "noble man" refers to Lord Marques Sandis, whose wife once mentioned her desire to obtain some quality curry powder. Lady Sandys kept a recipe brought from India by her uncle, Sir Charles.

The recipe was not simple, but in 1837 in Worcestershire there were two gifted pharmacists who were able to prepare the required mixture. The famous pharmacists John Lee and William Perrins were not so confident in the success of the planned event, but decided to try their luck. Their efforts soon paid off, and the satisfied customer received a bag of high-quality aromatic spice. Over time, they began to make a sauce from the dry seasoning, and talented enterprising pharmacists quickly became rich from its sales.

According to the second version The pharmacists did not get the Worcester on the first try, and its original appearance was considered nothing more than a culinary fiasco. Lord Sandys, who returned from Bengal and was very impressed with the local cuisine, decided that the bland English dishes needed to be diversified with spices.

Having given the pharmacists a prescription brought from his travels, the lord did not at all expect to receive an unpleasant-smelling liquid that had nothing in common with the bright taste he remembered. The pharmacists hid the result of the unsuccessful experiment in the basement and forgot about it for several years. Imagine their surprise when, during cleaning, they tried the infused liquid again: its rich taste exceeded all expectations. This soon made it possible to establish official production.

A classic dressing can contain from 20 to 40 ingredients, which makes the independent preparation process quite labor-intensive. The basis includes:

• fermented anchovies (pelagic fish);
• malt vinegar made from barley grains to enhance the taste;
• sugar (in American cuisine it is replaced with corn syrup);
• Blackstrap molasses – syrupy liquid, sweetener.

Additional ingredients are varied, their addition depends on the traditional cuisine of the country of origin:

• shallots or onion;
• Bay leaf;
• ginger;
• garlic;
• lemon juice;
• nutmeg;
• horseradish;
• salt;
• chili pepper extract.

Considering the chemical composition of the product, which contains vitamins B2 and PP, as well as sodium, magnesium, iron and calcium, we can say that when added to food in moderation, the seasoning improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes metabolism and increases the number of red blood cells in the blood, and also has a mild sedative effect : relieves fatigue and irritation, relieves headache and irritation, normalizes the general condition and increases the body's resistance to stress.

Since the composition is very rich, allergy sufferers should be careful. If at least one of the components causes an allergic reaction, the product should not be included in the diet.

Gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers, gastritis and increased acidity stomach. If you are obese and on a diet, you should also avoid including Worcestershire in the menu. Harm to the body, manifested in dysfunction of the pancreas and liver, is possible with frequent and excessive use.

During pregnancy Including seasoning in your diet can be beneficial: if added to food in small quantities, it helps relieve nausea and stimulates digestion. However, if consumed frequently, the sauce causes heartburn and disrupts intestinal function.

You should not use it in food if you had problems with the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver before pregnancy. In addition, excess consumption can cause thirst, and excess fluid in the body during pregnancy puts a lot of stress on the kidneys and heart, which leads to a feeling of heaviness in the stomach and swelling. In the last months of pregnancy, it is better to refrain from using this supplement.

During lactation inclusion of sauce in the diet is contraindicated: sharp ingredients food is excreted in breast milk, which causes intoxication of the child’s body. Ingredients such as onions, mustard and pepper change the taste breast milk, as a result of which the child refuses the breast.

Children under 8-10 years old should not be given the seasoning. Older children and teenagers can eat it, but in limited quantities, no more than 1-2 times a week, lightly seasoning the food.

How can you replace Worcestershire sauce and how to make it at home

Due to the large number of components that make up the spice and the special method of preparation, it will not be possible to replace the original with an identical product. However, you can use other spices that are suitable for dressing salads and marinating meat:

• Mix equal parts soy sauce, white vinegar and tamarind paste, adding a pinch of ground black pepper and cloves. The mixture turns out to be spicy and, like Worcestershire, is served with meat dishes and seafood salads.
• Take 10 ml of vinegar and red wine, add 20 ml of fish sauce and 2 pinches of salt. This mixture is served with toast and crackers, and can be used to season thick soup.
• An equally aromatic product is obtained by mixing equal amounts of lemon juice, garlic powder, vinegar and soy sauce with the addition of 20 g of sugar.

If any ingredients are missing to make a traditional seasoning, you can also replace them. For example, instead of black molasses, dark honey is used, preferably buckwheat, lemon juice is replaced with lime juice, and anchovy fillets are replaced with fish sauce to preserve the flavor. The following products also have a similar taste to English sauce:

• red wine;
• oyster and fish sauce;
• regular or apple cider vinegar;
• balsamic vinegar with the addition of Thai sauce;
• grated sour berries.

Original recipe for Caesar

There are many recipes for preparing the famous salad, but it classic version necessarily includes the addition of English sauce. This recipe contains fewer ingredients than the original, but it is easier to prepare at home, and the taste is closest to the traditional one.

Ingredients:

Chop the onion and garlic, cut the ginger root into small cubes. Mix these ingredients, add mustard, 2 types of pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Place the ingredients in a thick piece of stamp and tie the bag. Pour vinegar and soy sauce into the pan, add sugar and tamarind pulp. Mix thoroughly and place a gauze bag into the pan with the mixture. Place the pan on the fire and bring its contents to a boil.

While the mixture is boiling, place the fish in a separate bowl, sprinkle it with curry and salt. Stir and add to the rest of the ingredients. After boiling, remove the pan from the heat and pour the contents into a glass container, leaving the bag with gauze in the sauce.

Let the mixture cool and refrigerate for 2 weeks. Periodically, the contents of the container need to be stirred and the bag of spices should be squeezed out. After 14 days, you can throw it away, strain the liquid and continue storing it in the refrigerator. For a Caesar salad, just add one teaspoon of dressing.

Recipe based on molasses

Black molasses - molasses - is an essential component for making sauce, rich in vitamins and microelements. It is a dark thick syrup with a pronounced odor.

For cooking you need the following products:

Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and chili, mix them with cardamom pods, crushed with a knife. Place all the ingredients indicated in the list (except sugar) in a saucepan, stir, and place over medium heat.

When the contents of the saucepan boil, the resulting mass should continue to simmer over the fire for about 10 minutes. At this time, you need to pour the sugar into a frying pan and heat it until it completely melts.

The resulting syrup should be gradually poured into the saucepan, stirring with a whisk, after which the container can be removed from the heat.

Strain the resulting mass through a sieve and pour into a glass container. Shelf life: up to 10 months in a cool, dark place.

Making anchovy sauce

Worcestershire sauce is based on anchovies, which give the product a slight fishy flavor. When preparing seasoning at home, it is not recommended to replace anchovies with sprat. As a last resort, you can take the flesh of red fish.

List of ingredients:

Finely chop the onion and garlic with a knife. Lightly fry the nuts in a frying pan, then grind them until crumbly. Place all the ingredients in a glass jar and mix, put it in a cool place and shake several times a day.

The sauce will be ready in 14 days. The mixture of products must be placed in a sieve, the liquid must be strained and poured back into a glass container.

Common questions about the benefits and preparation of the sauce

What foods does the sauce not go with?

The product is not served with sweets, sweet pastries and fruits. It is also not consumed with drinks such as tea, coffee and juice. The only juice that goes well with spices is tomato juice. Tomato juice and sauce are the basis of the alcoholic drink Bloody Mary.

Can it be included in the menu if you have diabetes?

If you have diabetes, it is not advisable to include this product in your diet, since the sugar level in it is quite high. You can add a drop to the salad for flavor, but diabetics should not get carried away with its use.

How long can Worcestershire sauce be stored?

Store-bought sauce typically has a shelf life of 4 years from the time the bottle is opened, and can last longer if stored in an unopened bottle. Both sealed and opened bottles should be stored in a cool, dark place, otherwise mold may develop in it.

Sometimes sediment appears at the bottom of the bottle, but this does not mean that the product is spoiled: you need to shake the bottle and continue to use the sauce.

Can Worcestershire sauce be frozen?

Although sauces are not traditionally frozen, this product can be frozen without spoiling. However, its taste will deteriorate greatly: the taste will no longer be so spicy and rich and will not be suitable for marinating meat.

This spicy sauce, an element of the national cuisine of England, gives dishes a zest and helps reveal their taste to the fullest. Although it can be challenging to make at home, the results are worth it - it has the true aroma and taste of English old times.

Worcestershire sauce– a fermented liquid of brown color, which has a sweet and sour taste and rich composition. This is one of the most famous and popular representatives of this group of seasonings in the world, which has a rich composition. It is added to various dishes and used in many countries... Want to know more about Worcestershire sauce? Read our review!

History of creation

You have already learned what Worcestershire sauce looks like - you can find small bottles on the shelves of large stores, it is sold freely. You can see what they look like in the photo. It's time to say a few words about how this product came to be.

A common half-legend - half-truth says:

• One day, Lord Marques Sandys returned from a trip to India - he liked the spice-rich cuisine so much that his native British cuisine seemed bland and uninteresting;
• The Lord gave one of the brought recipes to pharmacists Lee and Perrins, who created a liquid that met all the rules;
• Sandys did not like the result obtained - the jars with the finished liquid remained standing in the basement of the pharmacy unclaimed;
• A few years later, pharmaceutical chemists remembered the jars and opened them. The taste of the contents has changed dramatically over the years of infusion, a pleasant tart aroma has appeared;
• Lee and Perrins set up large-scale production and opened a plant, as the resulting product quickly gained unprecedented popularity;
• The plant still operates today - but is now owned by Heinz.

Later we will definitely provide a recipe for Worcestershire sauce at home. In the meantime, let's talk about what Worcestershire sauce, which is produced on an industrial scale, consists of.

Worcestershire sauce ingredients

Let us immediately note that the composition of Worcestershire sauce is kept secret - it is known only at a single factory. By the way, only Lea Perrins Worcestershire sauce is original. There are several worthy manufacturers, but they all copy the original source, adding their own components.

The composition and recipe for English Worcestershire sauce are kept secret - but some information can still be obtained. Liquid seasoning consists of:

Even though the composition of Worcestershire sauce is known almost completely, it cannot be repeated for many years.

Small interesting fact– before bottling, the seasoning is aged for about 4 years in a dark room in oak barrels. The concentrated composition allows you to reduce the consumption of seasoning - and therefore makes the product economical to use.

You have learned what liquid seasoning is made from - which means you understand how Worcestershire sauce can be replaced in theory. But more on that later. In the meantime, let's discuss where to add and what to use this delicious fermented liquid with.

What do you eat Worcestershire with?

Are you already interested in the question of what Worcestershire sauce is used for? It's time to find out which dish options will benefit from adding a few drops of the product:

Now you know what Worcestershire sauce is eaten with - as you can see, the scope of application is quite wide. Experiment, add the product to the most unexpected dishes - most likely, the result will pleasantly surprise you.

Finally, let's briefly note how to use Worcestershire sauce - 2-3 drops per dish during cooking is enough, since its consistency is very thick and concentrated. You are guaranteed to enjoy a rich taste and aroma even with a small amount of liquid.

Let's move on to what you've been waiting for? Here is a recipe for homemade Worcestershire sauce!

How to make Worcestershire sauce yourself?

Many people are interested in how to make Worcestershire sauce at home - especially if you are a fan of culinary experiments. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to achieve the original taste on your own - the exact recipe is known only to manufacturing companies. In addition, you won’t be able to achieve the original fermentation process on your own.

However, you can create your own variation and use an approximate method of cooking at home. It is quite simple and accessible to almost everyone, and tastes very much like the original version.

So, let's start cooking:

That's all! Store in the refrigerator. Have you studied the recipe but want to understand what Worcestershire sauce tastes like? Read on, we have prepared a ton alternative options– you will finally know how to replace Worcestershire sauce at home.

And also watch the video recipe:

How to replace Worcestershire product?

We've already talked about how to make Worcestershire sauce at home - if you couldn't cope with this culinary Olympus, then it's time to talk about substitutes.

The analogue will help you forget about cooking yourself and long search shopping. Here are a few useful tips– one of them will definitely come in handy when looking for an answer to the question of what to replace Worcestershire sauce with.

• Mix one teaspoon each of tamarind paste, soy sauce and white vinegar;
• Add 1/8 tsp. ground cloves and hot pepper;
• Stir.

And here is the second recipe:

• Take two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and two tablespoons of fish product;
• Stir in 1/8 tsp. salt.

And one more option:

• Take one tbsp. lemon juice and garlic powder;
• Add the same amount of molasses, vinegar and soy product;
• Combine with a similar amount of vinegar;
• Add ¾ tbsp. hot seasoning and 0.5 tablespoon of granulated sugar, mix all ingredients.

And you can also pure form use the following sauces:

• Soy;
• Fish;
• Or red wine.

How to buy a quality product

Finally, let’s note how to choose and buy a quality product.

• The only original product is produced by the Lea & Perrins brand. How much does a bottle cost? About 350 rubles;

• You can also choose good quality analogues from manufacturers Heinz, French's and Cajun Power.

Worcestershire sauce is a delicious, savory sauce that is considered one of the most popular in the world. In England, where it was created, its original recipe is carefully hidden, but chefs from different countries managed to independently recreate the recipe, as close as possible to the real thing. We will tell you more about what Worcestershire sauce is and where to get it.

Worcestershire sauce - what is it?

Worcestershire, or, as it is also called, Worcestershire sauce, allows you to add new flavor notes to a huge number of dishes. This culinary masterpiece was first mentioned more than 170 years ago. It owes its history to Lord Sandy, who lived in England and worked for several years in Bengal, where they loved spicy food.

Returning home, Sandy realized that everything he was served was rather bland. Then he called two pharmacists and asked them to prepare their favorite sauce, giving the required recipe.

All the necessary products were purchased and the pharmacy workers did an excellent job, but the lord did not like the result. The sauce was very spicy and had... Disappointed, Sandy ordered the jars of failed sauce to be taken to the basement. A few years later, the lord came across these jars again and decided to try the contents again. This time the taste was just perfect.

Already in 1837, mass production of Worcestershire sauce was launched, which soon became very successful.

Let us repeat that only a narrow circle of people know the original recipe for this sauce, but one thing is certain - it takes 3 years and 3 months to prepare it.

What do you eat Worcestershire sauce with?

The range of uses for Worcestershire sauce is very wide, as it can add a pleasant taste to almost all dishes. It is often added to fish and vegetable stew and so on. In Spain, Worcestershire sauce is especially often used in salad recipes.

In certain cases, this sauce is even used when preparing drinks. In China, Worcestershire sauce is often used to prepare various marinades.

Few people know, but the recipe for the famous alcoholic cocktail “Bloody Mary” also contains a small amount of the sauce we are considering, which makes the combination of tomato juice and vodka simply ideal.

How to make Worcestershire sauce

When considering what Worcestershire sauce is and where to get it, one should not lose sight of the fact that this sauce can also be prepared at home.

Do you like Worcestershire sauce?
Vote

The fastest recipe

Of course, you won’t be able to follow the exact recipe on your own and find all the necessary ingredients for the original Worcestershire sauce, so we bring to your attention a simplified version of the original recipe. It is quite simple to prepare and, moreover, you do not have to wait 3 years to try the prepared sauce. So, let's start cooking.

Ingredients:

• garlic - 1 pc.;
• apple cider vinegar - 0.5 tbsp;
• honey (preferably dark) - 3 tbsp. l.;
• lime juice - 1 tbsp. l.;
• onion powder - 0.5 tsp;
• garlic powder - ¼ tsp;
• fish or oyster sauce - 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

• Let's start with garlic. It can be chopped using a garlic press or a knife. Transfer the chopped garlic clove into a tall glass in which we will mix all the ingredients.

• Pour apple juice into the same container.

• Then add honey and lime juice. It is better if it is freshly squeezed.
• Add onion and garlic powder. If you don't have these ingredients, you can replace them with regular minced garlic and onions.

• One of the last steps is to add fish sauce or chopped anchovy fillets. Mix everything thoroughly with a whisk.

• Pour the resulting sauce into the bottle and close it with a lid. It is recommended to store in the refrigerator.

The resulting sauce does not need to be infused. It can be used immediately after preparation and this will make its taste no worse.

Recipe close to the original

And also when discussing what to replace Worcestershire sauce with if you don’t have the original one on hand, you can consider another quick recipe. This recipe will be more complex than the previous one, as it involves boiling all the ingredients. However, its taste will be as close as possible to the original.

Ingredients:

• garlic - 2 cloves;
• vinegar 9% - 1.5 tbsp.;
• grated ginger root;
• cloves - 1 tsp;
• cardamom - 0.5 tsp;
• black peppercorns - 1 tsp;
• red pepper - 2 pinches;
• mustard seeds - 3 tbsp. l.;
• cinnamon - 2 sticks;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• water - 100 g;
• soy sauce - 0.5 tbsp;
• sugar - 0.5 tbsp;
• tamarind - ¼ tbsp.;
• anchovies - 2 pcs.;
• curry - 0.5 tsp.

Preparation:

• Fold the gauze in half and put chopped garlic, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black and red pepper, mustard seeds into it, and sprinkle all the ingredients with vinegar. Finely chop the onion and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
• In a saucepan, mix cold water, vinegar and soy sauce.
• Add tamarind and sugar there. Mix everything well until the sugar grains dissolve.
• We tightly tie the cheesecloth with all the ingredients and boil in the resulting mixture for about 30 minutes.
• While the spices are boiling, finely chop the anchovies. Then add curry to them, a little water and about 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add them to the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Don't forget to stir periodically.
• When 30 minutes have passed, strain the future sauce through a sieve and pour it into a convenient container. We put the gauze with spices there too.
• We send the resulting mixture to a cold place for 2 weeks. During the entire time, every day it is necessary to take out the gauze with spices and let it out, then put it back in place.
• After 2 weeks, the sauce will be completely ready for use.

Where to buy sauce

Since in Lately Worcestershire sauce has become even more popular; questions about what it is and where to get it disappear by themselves. You can buy Worcestershire sauce in absolutely any large supermarket, and if there is none in your city, you can order it in an online culinary store.

You can also prepare this sauce at home using the recipe above. Believe me, it will turn out no less tasty.

How to store Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce can be stored for up to 4 years after opening if provided in the right conditions. The best way- This is to store the sauce closed in its original packaging, then the likelihood that it will spoil will be minimal.

The best place to store Worcestershire sauce is in the refrigerator, as it retains its flavor and texture better in the cold.

If stored for a long time, sediment may form at the bottom of Worcestershire sauce. There's nothing wrong with that. To get rid of this sediment, shake the sauce before using. And if the Worcestershire sauce has an unpleasant taste or smell, it has most likely gone bad. This product should not be eaten. The sauce must also be thrown away if traces of mold appear on it.

Now you know what Worcestershire sauce is and where to get it. This information will certainly be useful to you for creating new culinary masterpieces or for preparing ordinary dishes that, with the help of sauce, will acquire a new taste.

Worcestershire sauce, which came to us from England, is prepared using vinegar, fish and 20 other ingredients. Its distinctive feature is its two-year aging. In cooking it is used more as a seasoning. This is due to its richness and concentration, so just a few drops added to a dish completely transform its taste. This spicy spice is one of the main ingredients of the traditional Caesar salad and is famous all over the world.

Of course, at home, rarely does anyone follow the rules for preparing this spice, namely, aging it for two years. Therefore, over time, its variations appeared, adapted to modern realities. Despite the simplified process, cooking is relatively labor-intensive due to the large number of components and the peculiarities of their preparation.

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Recipe

Before you start cooking, you should make sure you have a piece of gauze or a gauze bag, which is necessary for processing some of the ingredients.

In the list of products included in this spice, tablespoons are indicated in all cases: 0.25 - one fourth, 0.5 - half, and so on.

Required Products:

• One large anchovy;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• ginger (root) – 0.5 pcs.;
• garlic (slice) – 2 pcs.;
• mustard (seeds) – 3 spoons;
• black peppercorns and cinnamon (stick) – 0.5 pcs each;;
• salt – 3 spoons;
• ground red pepper, curry, cardamom - 0.25 spoons each;;
• vinegar – 400 ml;
• cloves – 0.5 spoons (3g);
• soy sauce – 100 ml;
• sugar – 100 g;
• lime juice (freshly squeezed) – 2 tablespoons;
• water – 100 ml.

If you use a piece of gauze rather than a special bag, then it should be folded in several layers.

Cooking yourself is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Peeled onions are cut into small cubes (some recipes recommend pre-soaking the onions in vinegar for 2-3 minutes).
2. Peeled garlic cloves are cut crosswise into thin slices.
3. Ginger root is crushed.
4. The prepared ingredients, along with mustard, cinnamon, cloves and pepper (red and peas), are placed in a gauze bag and tied.
5. Then freshly squeezed lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar are mixed in a saucepan and a gauze bag is placed into this mixture.
6. After the liquid boils, the fire is reduced to minimum heat and simmers for 40 minutes.
7. In the meantime, the remaining components are prepared: the anchovy is crushed and placed in a separate pan (or another fireproof container) along with water, salt and curry.
8. After the specified time, the contents of both pans are mixed and boiled for another 10 minutes.
9. Ready homemade Worcestershire sauce is removed from the heat and poured into a glass container ( better than a jar with a wide neck - more convenient to use). A gauze bag is placed there, closed with a lid and placed in the refrigerator.
10. For two weeks, while the “seasoning” is infused, it is necessary to periodically stir it and squeeze out the bag.
11. The finished delicious spice is poured into glass bottles and stored in the refrigerator (the bag is thrown away).

Before serving or using the spice as an ingredient in other dishes, it is recommended to shake the contents of the bottle.

Another homemade recipe

This option is slightly different from the previous one in the way of preparing some products and composition; it includes 16 components (remember, in classic recipe there are 22 of them). In addition, the time required for infusion is halved here.

Grocery list:

• onion – 1 pc.;
• sugar – 100 g;
• mustard (white in seeds) – 2 spoons;
• 1 anchovy;
• ground or fresh ginger – 0.5 tablespoons;
• cardamom (powder) and ground red pepper (hot) - 0.25 spoons each;
• cloves, peppercorns (black) - 0.5 spoons each;
• cinnamon and curry - 0.25 spoons each;
• garlic (slice) – 2 pcs.;
• vinegar (essence) – 2 spoons;
• tamarind – 0.5-1 spoon;
• soy sauce – 125 ml;
• salt.

The last ingredient is added to taste, but following the rule “everything is good in moderation.” The Worcestershire sauce recipe at home, like the traditional version, requires strict adherence to all proportions, so it is important not to experiment with adding ingredients in order to get a truly excellent result.

Step by step cooking instructions:

1. The peeled onion is poured with vinegar essence, left for half an hour, after which it is cut into small cubes.
2. Garlic (pre-peeled) is passed through a press and sprinkled with vinegar.
3. Prepared vegetables are placed in a gauze bag along with pepper (ground and peas), cardamom, cloves, and ginger. It is then tied securely.
4. Mix soy sauce, a small amount of water, vinegar, tamarind and sugar in a saucepan. The bag is immersed in the resulting mixture.
5. After boiling, the heat is reduced to a minimum and the “sweet and sour” is cooked for about half an hour.
6. At this time, the anchovy is chopped and mixed with salt, curry, and a small amount of water (the mass should be runny).
7. Pour the resulting mixture into the pan and cook everything together until the specified time has elapsed.
8. The finished liquid cools slightly and is poured into a glass jar, and a gauze bag is placed in it. The jar is closed with a lid and placed in the refrigerator.
9. During the week required for infusion, the contents of the jar are periodically shaken and the bag is wrung out.
10. On the eighth day, the gauze is removed and thrown away along with the contents, and the “liquid seasoning” is poured into glass bottles and stored in the refrigerator.

If you look at the photo of the finished spice, including the commercially available one, its color is very dark, almost black. It can be served with meat fried foods, use as an ingredient for salad dressings, add to stewed and boiled vegetables, and so on.

Video: Worcestershire sauce - how it's made