28 August: Worcester Sauce

On this date in 1837 Pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins of Worcester, England began the manufacture of Worcester Sauce. 10 things you might not know about this condiment.

1. It is made by dissolving anchovies, bones and all, in vinegar. Other ingredients include Garlic, Onion, molasses and spices (likely to be Cloves, peppers and soy sauce).
2. Dishes it may be used to flavour include Welsh rarebit, beef stews, steaks, Hamburgers, Oysters and devilled Eggs. It's also an ingredient of the Bloody Mary cocktail.
3. A similar sauce called garum was consumed by the Greeks and Romans. Pliny the Elder wrote about it.
4. The recipe is said to have been passed on to Messrs Lea and Perrins by one Lord Marcus Sandys, who discovered it while he was serving as the governor of Bengal in India.
5. Lea and Perrins were both pharmacists whose original business was a chemist's shop.
6. It's said that the first time they had the stuff made according to the Indian recipe, it tasted disgusting and they abandoned it, leaving a barrel in the basement, where, over time, it fermented. When they needed to make room in the cellar, some brave soul decided to sample some of the sauce and discovered that it was now palatable. By 1838, they were selling it to the public.
7. In Spain, they call it "salsa inglesia", which means "English sauce".
8. In 1876, Lea and Perrins attempted to trademark the name Worcestershire sauce, but the court declared that the county name could not be trademarked. Hence other companies can make Worcestershire sauce and use the name.
9. The list of ingredients and some notes by Lea and Perrins was discovered in a skip in 2009. Accountant Brian Keogh rescued the document which is now on display in the Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.
10. Since it's made from fish, People who are allergic to fish, vegetarians and vegans can't eat it. Orthodox Jews, who cannot eat meat and fish in the same dish, cannot use it to flavour meat. There are some companies, however, which make a fish free version.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

Reasons not to read it

• Even more superheroes.
• These new superheores are teenagers. Superhero-sized teenage angst.
• The villains are joining forces.
• There's a villain who's even kind to people occasionally.
• Yet another book set partly in a school, with teachers, bullies, exams etc

Available from:

Amazon

Amazon Kindle