Welsh rarebit

Welsh rarebit
Alternative namesWelsh rabbit
TypeSavoury
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Main ingredientsCheese, bread
VariationsBuck rabbit, blushing bunny, Hot Brown

Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit (/ˈrɛərbɪt/ or /ˈræbɪt/)[1] is a dish of hot cheese sauce, often including ale, mustard, or Worcestershire sauce, served on toasted bread.[2] The origins of the name are unknown, though the earliest recorded use is 1725 as "Welsh rabbit" (possibly ironic or jocular as the dish contains no rabbit); the earliest documented use of "Welsh rarebit" is in 1781. Variants include English rabbit, Scotch rabbit, buck rabbit, golden buck, and blushing bunny.

Though there is no strong evidence that the dish originated in Welsh cuisine, it is sometimes identified with the Welsh caws pobi 'baked cheese', documented in the 1500s.[3]

  1. ^ "rarebit". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SpryHume was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Witts, Nicholas (4 February 2017). "A Brief History of Welsh Rarebit". Culture Trip. Retrieved 7 February 2022.