It’s the ultimate secret ingredient that can zhuzh up a Bloody Mary, add depth to stews and casseroles and liven up burgers, dressings and marinades. Worcestershire sauce has long been the handy helper that home cooks reach for when their dishes need that little extra je ne sais quoi. But what is it actually made of?

Worcestershire sauce is a fermented liquid condiment that was originally invented by two English pharmacists – John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins (recognise those surnames?) – in Worcestershire in the 1830s. The pair were experimenting with a new sauce recipe, and combined ingredients such as fish sauce, tamarind, cloves and pickles, among others. At the time, they tasted their concoction, but it didn’t really float their boat. So they put it aside, storing it in a jug in their cellar, and moved on to other things. That was until about a year or so later, when they tasted it again and bingo – it had fermented and mellowed and was perfect. 

The sauce quickly became a massive hit, thanks in great part to the aggressive marketing tactics of Lea and Perrins, who claimed that they had been commissioned by a “nobleman of acknowledged gout (good taste)” to replicate a sauce said nobleman had enjoyed while governing in India (there is no evidence that such a man actually existed). They also managed to get their sauce bottles on the dining tables of British passenger ships, and claimed that their sauce made hair “grow beautiful” and improved digestion. All this created a lot of hype, and now the sauce is a staple in kitchens around the world, with many brands available (in the 1870s, the Lea & Perrins company tried, but failed, to trademark the term ‘Worcestershire sauce’). 

Related story: Why seasoning your steak with sugar is the secret to the best steak ever

What is Worcestershire sauce made from?

The exact recipe of Lea and Perrins’ original sauce was a closely guarded secret, and was sometimes even written in code to keep the crucial details from staff. But then, in 2009, the daughter of a former Lea & Perrins employee claimed that her father had found the original recipe in a leather-bound notebook in a skip bin. Go figure. 

The original recipe included water, cloves, salt, sugar, soy, fish, vinegar, ‘essence of lemons’, peppers, tamarind and pickles. Fast-forward to today, and the ingredients are listed as malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, onion, garlic, spice and flavours. But no hint as to what those ‘spice’ and ‘flavours’ are. So it is still a kind of mystery, after all. The sauce is matured for 18 months before it’s blended and bottled. 

Related story: This guy says you should boil your garlic five times before using. Is he off his bulb?

How to pronounce Worcestershire

While it might look as though it should be pronounced as ‘Worse-ester-shire’, the correct pronunciation is actually ‘Woosta-shuh’. You’ll find this same kind of confusing spelling and pronunciation if you’re ever heading to Leicester (‘Leh-stuh’) or Gloucester (‘glo-stuh’). 

Related story: Olive oil prices set to drop as European growers report bumper crops