“England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” So said George Bernard Shaw.
It’s true. Not only do the British sometimes call things a different name than we do, like lorry for truck or lift for elevator, they often pronounce the same word differently as well. For example, they drop the “c” in schedule and add an extra “i” to aluminium.
No wonder, then, there is confusion over how to pronounce the name Worcestershire sauce, arguably the world’s favorite condiment. Correct pronunciation requires you to skip a letter or two and a whole syllable and say “wooster-shire.” (A corny lexicography joke instructs you to just say “what’s-this-here” sauce.)
The invention of the not-so-secret sauce might be just as quaint. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, back in 1835, when pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins tried to create a facsimile of an Indian fish sauce, what they came up with smelled so awful and tasted so gross they put it in a crock and left it in the basement of their shop—for a year and a half! When, ultimately, they came across the contents of the crock as they were cleaning out the basement, they decided, don’t ask me why, to give it a taste. They found it had fermented into something remarkable. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Incorporating what we today call umami, it literally adds depth to almost any food. I actually found a recipe for ice cream sauce that calls for it.
Truly, with apologies to the late John Belushi, when it comes to Worcestershire, you are almost certain to "like-a-da-sauce."
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Worcestershire Chicken
Though any liquid can be used to deglaze a pan and create a delicious sauce, Worcestershire sauce imparts as much, if not more, flavor than any of them. This recipe, adapted from food.com and based on one from the now defunct Gourmet magazine, is a case in point.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
Pat chicken dry and pound to ½-inch thickness. Cook over medium heat in olive oil until lightly browned on each side. Add remaining ingredients except lemon juice and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm. Let sauce simmer until reduced to approximately ¼ cup. Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and serve over chicken. (Serves two.)
