Welsh rarebit is a traditional British dish made by toasting cheese gravy and bread together. It can be made with various ingredients and is believed to have originated in Wales. The dish is rich in flavor and can be customized with additional ingredients.
Welsh rarebit is a traditional British dish that is made ladle with a thick cheese gravy and then briefly toasted the two together so that the cheese gravy becomes thick and bubbly. There are several ways to make Welsh rarebit; some cooks, for example, skip the gravy step and simply bake toast with slices of cheese and a splash of Worcestershire sauce or chili, and others do it with crackers. This dish can be eaten anytime and makes a popular midnight snack in some households, where a bowl of rarebit sauce can be kept on hand so the dish can be prepared quickly.
According to popular legend, Welsh rarebit was originally “Welsh rabbit”, and was meant to cast aspersions on the Welsh, who presumably weren’t very good at catching rabbits. Over time, the “rabbit” became “rarebit”, perhaps spurred by a desire for political correctness, and the dish made its way into the English repertoire of Welsh cuisines.
This dish is definitely Welsh in origin, with written evidence suggesting it dates back to at least the 1700s. The Welsh are famous for cheese and were supposedly among the first to use cooked cheese in various prepared dishes. As a result, some people have suggested that the original name of this dish, ‘Welsh rabbit’, was intended as a friendly Welsh feel, who may prefer to eat cheese to eat rabbit in some situations.
A basic rarebit sauce is made by melting cheese with milk or cream, adding a dash of beer, and seasoning the mixture before pouring it onto toast. Other cooks like to start with a roux to give the sauce more body and a toasty flavor, sprinkling with spices like cayenne, mustard and pepper before adding beer and finally cheese. After a few minutes of slow whisking, the sauce should smooth out and thicken, at which point Worcestershire sauce can be added and then the sauce can be refrigerated for later use, or spread on toast and grilled for a few minutes for the desired bubbly texture .
Far from just cheese on toast, a good plate of Welsh rarebit is salty, spicy, rich and layered with flavor, and cooks can even add things like grilled tomatoes or hard-boiled eggs to their Welsh rarebit for extra flavor and body. Most cooks also recommend using really good bread, as the dish can be ruined by spongy, poor quality bread with an indifferent texture.
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