Worcestershire sauce is made from anchovies fermented for more than a year.
The original Lea and Perrins recipe combines anchovies, vinegar, molasses, tamarind and spices. The first batch reportedly tasted so bad that it was left in the cellar, and only became palatable after months of fermentation.
Why is this true?
Long fermentation breaks the fish down into amino acids such as glutamate, which give the sauce its deep savoury taste. Ancient Romans used a similar fermented fish sauce called garum on almost everything.
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