Would you like anchovies in that Bloody Mary?
June 4th, 2012
If you’re drinking a Bloody Mary in the morning the thought of tiny, salty fish swirling around in it will surely be enough to tip that hangover from barely bearable to lurching for the loo.
What in the world am I talking about?
I’m talking about the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce commonly added to cocktails such as a Bloody Mary or meals like Welsh Rabbit, Caesar Salad, Oysters Kirkpatrick, chili con carne, gravies and steak sauces.
The main ingredient in Worcestershire is little saltwater fish, which have been fermented in vinegar. Yes, anchovies!
Add molasses, sugar, salt, tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice, flavouring and voila, you have the classic savoury British (fermented fish) sauce.
Anchovies. In the sea, lovely. In a Caesar Salad dressing, if you insist. On a pizza, better make it half and half. On my eggs….never!
At only five calories per tea spoon it’s not a sauce to worry your love handles over, and vegetarians need not freak out; there are vegan options available on the market. Though be aware that due to the salt that’s required to ferment the anchovies, it is a high sodium sauce – it has only a third of the salt of soy sauce, however.
It’s invention is multifaceted. There is evidence that a fermented fish sauce was a staple during Roman times in the Mediterranean but today’s British iteration likely came from India, where tamarind seed is used to combine the sweet with the sour.
We wonder if ignorance is bliss after all….nah! Get into it, eyes and all! 🙂
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