Photo: Lawrence Loo, Landov.
The original recipe notes for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce have been unearthed in a dumpster near the sauce factory by former company accountant, Brian Keogh. It was unclear why he was digging through the trash.
The accountant passed away in 2006, but his discovery only recently came to light after his daughter Bonnie Clifford brought the notes to Worcester City Museums.
The ingredient list originally read as vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onions and garlic. The secret ingredients -- until now unknown to the public -- were simply listed as "spices" and "flavorings."
The recovered notes reveal that the secret ingredients include soy sauce, cloves, pickles, peppers and lemon.
Before the discovery, no single person in the Lea & Perrins staff knew the entirety of the recipe. Much of it was written in code using terms such as "1 lb. of bulldog," David Nash of the Worcester City Museums told the Daily Mail.
Despite the find, the notes still fail to disclose how to blend the sauce, as well as how much sauce the recipe makes.
Love Worcestershire sauce? How do you use it? Tell us in the comments below.
[Via The Daily Mail]
11-03-2009 @2:09PM Ryan said... Bloody Mary's and Bloody Ceaser's definitely require this Worstershier Sauce!!!
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11-03-2009 @2:35PM Angela said... I use W. sauce in a lot of recipes. It goes well with meatloaf and also adds a bit of punch to marinades. It will work in a pinch if I don't have soy sauce for a marinade, but I have to adjust the other ingredients accordingly. If you are frying steak, just put some on them and it will make them taste yummy, plus cook down to form a thick base for gravy.
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11-03-2009 @2:41PM Joe K said... Lee & Perrins Worstershire sauce is great mixed in with sour cream used as a topping for baked potatoes. Gives it a creamy, delicious taste that guests always inquire about. I also splash in on steaks with sea salt before grilling. Protects the meat from carcinogens and complements flavor.
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11-03-2009 @2:42PM Mary said... The best thing healthiwise about Worcestershire sauce is that it is low sodium, can replace TBS of soy sauce w/ 1/4 c worc. sauce !!!!!
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11-03-2009 @2:49PM Jay said... sprinkle on hotdogs as they grill. It coats them with the dark flavorful covering.
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11-03-2009 @2:52PM Tom said... Years ago, a family friend had the following tasty snack at her party: On a saucer, put a room temperature bar of cream cheese, smothered in Worcestershire Sauce. Provide crackers and knife.
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11-03-2009 @2:50PM Gary said... Joe K - Reduces carcinogens? What gave you that idea?
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11-03-2009 @2:51PM Robert said... I use it to marinate chicken before grilling. Adds great flavor!
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11-03-2009 @2:53PM MisterTommy said... There's one problem I see with this story. This might be the "original" recipe for L&P. But, if you read the label on a Lea & Perrins bottle, you will also find one other ingredient - High Fructose Corn Syrup. Lea & Perrins is by far the best tasting, but as long as it contains HFCS, I'll suffer along with an inferior brand of Worcestershire that doesn't use that artery inflaming crap. HFCS needs to be banned from all consumer foods.
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11-03-2009 @2:54PM Rich Sokol said... Lea & Perrins has been on my family's table since birth. I think Dad got it from his Dad. There was no substitute. Other brands may just as well not exist. And if we were out Dad grumbled. I've picked up the habit but need to be careful as my wife may see it as an insult to her preparations. Just the other day I found Wal-Mart brand Worcestershire in our refrigerator. The label was colored to resemble Lea & Perrins. I tried it. Not the same but surprisingly not bad. The other brands never came even close. All in all. Lea & Perrins
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11-03-2009 @2:58PM S.D. said... I drink it right out of the bottle! I also use it to clean the toilets.
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11-03-2009 @3:00PM Jay said... I use it on all meat. And to add a dash of piquancy to my bleu cheese dressing (half sour cream, half mayo, sprinkle of grlic powder, lots of crumbled bleu cheese and two big dashes of Lee & Perrins (I could pick it's unique blend from dozens of others in a taste off)
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11-03-2009 @3:06PM joy said... *FYI- HFCS does not cause artery problems in itself... the consumption of too much HFCS or any other sweetner for that matter can cause Obesity which in turn may promte conditions such as type 2 diabetes,high blood pressure or artery didease.
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11-03-2009 @3:12PM CriminyJikets said... It was a staple in all southern diners, made uniformly by head cooks and sat in various unlabeled bottles on all the tables. For decades people used it and wondered what it was asking "WhatsisHereSauce"? Yanks decided that was too crude and named it after a county in England. Yea, thats how it went.
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11-03-2009 @3:27PM Pam said... I too drink Lea and Perrins! Taste great and less filling. Have not tried it on toilets yet, but is good to know. lol! Never get caught without it as I always pick some up when at the store. Pantry has 3 or 4 bottles in it now. That and garlic powder.
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11-03-2009 @3:30PM cazsue said... Add a tablespoon to macaroni and cheese - delicious!
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11-03-2009 @3:33PM coty said... What ever happened to their other original steak sauce? It was thicker and the best steak sauce ever! I can't find it anywhere in the stores and have been searching for it for years. If they stopped making it, they should bring it back!
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11-03-2009 @3:32PM Joan said... I use L&P in a steak sauce my father developed as well as with salmon. In addition I use it in meat loaf and hamburgers.
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11-03-2009 @3:36PM bk said... CriminyJikets Now that's funny...
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11-03-2009 @3:56PM solomeeo said... Don't use worcestershire sauce. Liquid smoke is MUCH better.
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