Welsh Rabbit or Welsh Rarebit Recipe
Quick and Easy Rarebit Made From Cheese, Mustard and Beer
Aug 13, 2009
So, is it Welsh Rabbit or Welsh Rarebit? General public opinion as well as historical references, found by searching online newspaper archives, favours Rabbit. Chamber’s Twentieth Century Dictionary asserts that it’s only wiseacres who refer to it as Rarebit. The same dictionary goes on to define a wiseacre as “one who unduly assumes an air of superior wisdom: a simpleton quite unconscious of being such”.
St Peter and the Cheese on Toast Joke
Not even the ingredients can be properly agreed on. Some chefs say to use beer, some to use milk and some to add eggs. Its name is probably a witticism which may have arisen as a sort of racial slur against the Welsh. This nation apparently, has a great love for cheese on toast. There’s even an old joke about it:
St Peter got a bit fed up with a bunch of boisterous and rowdy Welshmen disturbing the peace in Heaven so resolved to get rid of them. He did this by opening the pearly gates, going outside and shouting “caws pobi!” (Welsh for roasted cheese). The Welshmen ran out to follow him and, as they did, St Peter nipped back the other side of the gates and closed them, thereby locking the rowdy Welsh out.
Welsh Rabbit Good Enough for a Coronation Dinner Menu
An article on mediaeval cookery in The Gentleman’s Magazine of October 1905 explains that “chesemayne”, shown on the menu as part of the third course of the dinner held to celebrate Henry IV’s coronation in 1393, was a form of Welsh Rabbit as it was cheese served on slices of bread either toasted or melted first.
But regardless of the controversy and the jokes, Welsh Rabbit, or Welsh Rarebit is actually a very tasty light meal which is extremely quick to make and that can be eaten on its own or garnished with a small side salad and washed down with a pint of beer or glass of chilled white wine. The recipe given below will serve two people.
Welsh Rabbit (or Rarebit) Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 oz butter
- 6 oz grated cheese (choose a hard cheese like cheddar)
- 2 tbsp beer or milk (brown ale is quite nice for this)
- 1 lvl teaspoon made up mustard
- Salt and pepper
- 4 slices hot buttered toast – white or brown
Method:
- Grate the cheese
- Gently melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat
- Add the cheese and beer or milk
- Stir gently until the cheese has melted – but try not to let it boil as it may go stringy
- Remove from the hob and add the salt and pepper and mustard
- Pour over the buttered toast and serve immediately
 |
