Posted
on September 3, 2015
Two dishes I remember having (or seeing) when I was a kid, that I don't see or hear about these days, are chipped beef on toast and Welsh rarebit (which is hot cheese on toast).
It's
not as if we don't still have toast. Toast and “French toast” are
still hugely popular at breakfast time. And it's not as if we don't
do bread plus cheese – cheesy garlic bread and pizza, quesadillas
and fondue, grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos, and crackers and
cheese all combine a variety of bread products with all sorts of
cheese.
But
Welsh rarebit on a menu? A friend serving me Welsh rarebit? Or
putting photos of Welsh rarebit on Facebook? Nope, nope, and nope.
Okay, I'm just wrong! If Stouffer's sells Welsh Rarebit in its frozen foods, it must be more common than I thought. But, I swear, I've NEVER seen this Stouffer's item here in Southern California! |
Well,
today is Welsh Rarebit Day, so it is time to reverse that trend!
Melt
some cheddar cheese, stir in some Worcestershire sauce and mustard,
and serve it up on toast! Or do a full-on recipe like this one on Food-dot-com!
Okay,
so I have wondered...why “Welsh”? And why “rarebit”?
- There are some who think that this simple recipe was a staple dish in South Wales Valleys, but others say that the English used to use the word “Welsh” to mean “foreign” or “inferior.” And perhaps a vegetarian food was considered inferior in some ways to serving meat? Some say that the Welsh were considered to be especially fond of cheese, just like we think of Americans eating lots of corn, and Argentinians being very fond of beef.
- Hot cheese on toast used to be called Welsh rabbit. Even though there was no rabbit to be seen, anywhere in the dish. And even though rabbits don't eat toast OR cheese.
Apparently “rarebit” was a mistake that was copied over and over again – possibly a mistake that was glommed onto eagerly because the name “Welsh rabbit” for a vegetarian dish is...well, silly?
This is a cute idea, actually -- notice the tooth marks in the carrot! |
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