Cumberland sauce is a fruit-based sauce used in Britain as a condiment for meat. It can be made from scratch or bought ready-made and typically contains port wine, red currant jelly, citrus fruits, shallots, mustard, pepper, and ginger powder. Its precise history is unknown, but it is said to have originated in Hanover, Germany, and is named after Lord Cumberland of England. Most of the sauce available for purchase is made and bottled in England and then exported.
Cumberland sauce is a rich, dark-colored wine sauce with citrus undertones that is used in Britain as a condiment for venison, pork, game, and charcuterie. Most recipes for this fruit-based sauce call for a combination of port wine, red currant jelly, citrus fruits, shallots, mustard, pepper, and ginger powder. The sauce is said to have originated in Hanover, Germany, but its namesake is Lord Cumberland of England, who was a fan of the sauce. Cumberland sauce can be made from scratch or bought ready-made for around $10 United States Dollars (USD). It is sometimes referred to as Oxford sauce.
There are several recipes for Cumberland sauce available in cookbooks and online, but most share the same ingredients and basic instructions. To make the sauce from scratch, the zest of two oranges and one lemon is thinly sliced, blanched for one minute, and drained. The juices are squeezed out of the oranges and lemon and then set aside. One finely chopped shallot and one ounce (25 g) of peeled and grated ginger are sautéed in butter until the shallots are soft, which usually takes three to four minutes.
The cook then adds the zest, fruit juices, 150ml of port and a teaspoon (5g) of Dijon mustard to the pan containing the sauteed shallots, bringing the entire mixture to a boil. When the sauce has been reduced by half, 14 ounces (400 g) of red currant jelly and one tablespoon (15 g) of soft green peppercorns are added and simmered for five minutes or until the jelly has set. dissolved in the sauce. The sauce is chilled and served cold, either directly on the meat or on the side.
The precise history of this popular condiment is a mystery. A recipe for a similar sauce appeared in a popular cookbook published in 1821, Dr. William Kitchiner’s Cook’s Oracle. The first English reference to Cumberland sauce is found in the 1878 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Earlier references to the sauce are found in sources as early as 1856, including a reference from an 1870 New Orleans hotel menu.
Most of the Cumberland sauce available for purchase is made and bottled in England and then exported. Online and window shops in England and abroad sell the condiment in individual tins or by the case. A 7-ounce (0.28 g) can of Cumberland sauce costs about $10 USD, not including shipping. A case of 12 jars sells for around $110 USD.
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