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! |
Also
on this date:
Anniversary
of Sweden switching sides
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
Why does string cheese taste better when pulled off into strings rather than just bitten in a hunk?
