Welsh Rarebit

[SurreyGuy]

Can anyone please tell me why cheese on toast is called "Welsh Rarebit"?

[nickmo]

I though it came from 'caws pobi' in Welsh meaning rare or lightly cooked piece or small bit.

There have been English and Scottish rarebits as well. Variations on raclette really.

Bit of info at this: http://www.journalofantiques.com/hearthmay.htm. Guaranteed to win the pub quiz if you memorise the lot.

[Cymbeline]

Not to be picky but Welsh Rarebit is not cheese on toast. Coming from a Welsh girl whose mum used to make Welsh Rarebit as I was growing up, it is actually more like scrambled eggs and cheese (and milk and butter) and the toast isn't part of the "Welsh Rarebit". It's Welsh Rarebit on toast. Phew...rant over.

[nickmo]

And a rant right back at you.

Scrambled eggs and cheese in a rarebit? Never is. Cheese, butter, dash of mustard, tiny bit of chopped onion, slice of tomato on the top, maybe a dash of Worcestershire Sauce and maybe even a little beer if you fancy is traditional in the English version, but get a grip - scrambled eggs and cheese is not a rarebit, hen. Thats scambled egg, with cheese.

A 'buck rarebit' could have a poached egg or nice piece of crispy bacon on the top, but even this is away from the real thing!! But everyones Mum makes the best , so theres really no right or wrong.

[Cymbeline]

I hardly think a different method of making welsh rarebit warrants a "get a grip". And if you read my email I actually said it is MORE LIKE scrambled eggs with cheese and by texture it should be. See below for a recipe that uses eggs.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1626,148169-243195,00.html

[ursula62]

Delia gives a little story as well as a recipe!

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/welsh-rabbit-rarebit-with-sage-and-onions,1373,RC.html

[nickmo]

See the point re. texture pathetic grovelling image fills the screen - but lordy, American recipe for rarebit! - now really......and as for Delia......- if she can use an egg anywhere she will.

And hows this for a variation!! This is really weird thing to do to a bit of cheese on toast...see if you can spot the comedy ingredient here. These guys are onto a real trip with this one.....

CYNHWYSION
1lb caws cheddar cryf- wedi gratio
1 wy mawr
1 llwy de mwstard poeth
1 llwy de saws Lea & Perrins
2 pinsied powdwr paprica
40 ml cwrw tywyll
6 gellygen - heb y croen
Potel o win Coch
1 pod fanila - wedi ei agor
2 star anise
Croen � oren
� llwy de sinamon
� llwy de sinsir
4 llwy fwrdd siwgr brown (meddal)
1 chilli coch poeth - wedi ei dorri'n hanner
DULL
Cymysgu'r caws, wy, mwstard, saws Lea & Perrins, paprica a'r cwrw gyda'i gilydd yn dda mewn powlen fawr.
Gadael i sefyll yn yr oergell am awr.

Mewn sospan, dod a'r gwin coch, fanila pod, star anise, croen yr oren, sinamon, sinsir
a'r siwgr brown i'r berw. Rhoi'r gellyg yn y sosban a gadael i fudferwi ar wres isel am tua 40 munud.

Gadael y cyfan i oeri yn yr oergell.

Yn ofalus, torri'r gellyg yn hanner ar eu hyd a thynnu'r hadau allan o'r canol i greu pant.
Llenwi gyda llwyed dda o'r gymysgedd caws.

Rhoi o dan gril ar wres cymedrol i doddi a brownio'r caws a chynhesu'r gellyg.

[Lollyhoney]

I'm presuming you mean the vanilla pod! Well being a fluent welsh speaker I was disturbed to find 6 pears lower down the ingredients list!! Not like the welsh rarebit we had! A very thick cheesy sauce with small bits of onion, mushroom and tomato! At christmas we'd have it extra special with walnuts and quails eggs!! Lovely on toast or even over some grilled fish or chicken!!

[nickmo]

Hi Lollyhoney - well to be honest the whole thing is a bit of a trip. I mean, loading your pears with cheese, vanilla, star anise and a pint of Lea n Perrins!! Wondered if it was a spoof.........

Now you see, mushrooms.....not a proper ingredient is it really?? Respect the food. Keep it simple and as it has always been. I love to try out combinations, but some staples are just that.

[ermintrude35]

..nickmo.. thats not a recipe for cheese on toast ..it's a recipe for poached pears topped with rarebit.. and it's from the s4c chef Dudley if i remember correctly..

..now to the original question ...it's not Welsh Rarebit but Welsh Rabbit... and is not Welsh atall ...

here's how the story goes... years ago when the men went out a hunting and returned empty handed (i.e no rabbit for the cooking pot) the women would rustle up a quick standby dish..cheese on toast... the Welsh bit is infact "welsh" verb ....meaning "bilk, defraud, dishonor, evade, fail, neglect, rat, repudiate, shirk, skate, skip, stiff, swindle, welch"...

...I usually make mine by melting some cheese in a pan with a dash of beer, pinch of mustard powder, dash of lea & perrins, an egg yolk...when melted into a thick paste spread onto a thick slice of toast and grill untill golden brown...

[funnywebsite]

I assumed it was because the Welsh was poorer and couldn't afford a rabbit for dinner.