So, just in case you haven’t heard, that pantry standby for many classic dishes, standard Worcestershire Sauce (audio pronunciation: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/En-Worcester_sauce.ogg ), such as French’s and Lea&Perrin’s is NOT vegan or vegetarian– it contains anchovies.
Garum was a fermented fish sauce (lots of umami!)which was both a staple of Greco-Roman cuisine and important to the Mediterranean economy of the Roman Empire. The fourth/fifth-century Roman culinary text Apicius includes garum in its recipes. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe, including the British Isles, can be traced back as recently as the 17th century. The Lea & Perrins brand was commercialized in 1837 and is still the leading global brand of Worcestershire sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce can enhance, brighten, and round out flavors in many a dish that is good, but “missing something”. It’s especially good in “meaty” vegan dishes like stews, gravies, chili, shepherd’s pie, veggie burgers and meatless loaves, seitan pot roast, etc., and, of course in barbecue sauces, V-8 juice or anything else tomato-ey, and Bloody Mary’s, if that’s your thing.
There are vegan brands– Annie’s Naturals, EarthFare Organic, The Wizard’s Organic Saucery, Biona, Edward & Sons, and maybe more that I don’t know about– but I can’t find any of these in my area. So, many years ago, I devised this recipe. I hope you’ll give it a try– it only takes a few minutes of your time and contains simple, inexpensive ingredients that most of us have around. (BTW, I purposely left out tamarind paste because I know that it’s hard for some folks to find.)
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA’S HOMEMADE VEGAN WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
Makes about 1 2/3 cups
Simple, quick, easy, delicious and complex. This recipe is from my very first cookbook, “The Almost No-Fat Cookbook”.
1 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour it into a sterilized pint jar or a clean 375 ml/12.7 oz. beer or cider bottle with a tight lid or cap. Store in the refrigerator. It will keep for a long time!
Enjoy!
