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How Do You Vote: Welsh Rarebit or Rabbit?   

By Ken Thorne, Food Editor

                    For dragons years the debate has raged Rarebit or Rabbit! This article is, at best, a humble attempt to offer some clarification on this issue. Also featured, is a recipe to make St David proud – upmarket from his mythical bread and water diet but nevertheless a low carb 21^st century rarebit version – a wonderful Saws Caws Caerffili – Caerphilly Cheese Sauce (Over Oven Roasted Vegetables).

            This recipe is wonderful, adapted from one featured in Angela Gray’s The Welsh Cheese Book (2003) by Gomer Press. Angela as you may know is a Welsh TV Chef with a large devoted following. The recipe has been a pleasing dish to serve both as an appetizer and main course. Guests for dinner rave about this version of the classic Welsh dish.

            The recipe is easy and a delight because it pleases your guests to see it go together in front of their eyes. The Caerphilly Cheese Sauce can be made fresh in roughly ten minutes as the vegetables roast. It is fun to involve your guests in the assembly of their dishes.

            Welsh cheeses can be found in North America produced by Abergavenny Fine Foods and marketed under the Somerdale name. Also, a Somerdale Caerphilly Cheese is available at an affordable price, although made in England it is in the Welsh style. For North American sources for Welsh Cheeses visit: www.WelshFoodie.com and click on Welsh Cheese.

            The best Caerphilly cheeses are made in Wales by the award winning farmhouse companies such as Caws Cenarth and Gorwydd. Only Gorwydd is available in the US at present, Gorwydd is a top class cheese deserving the very finest of gourmet status; taste and enjoy it with a little wine - its rich flavor is enhanced with a nice full-bodied chardonnay.

Is It Rarebit or Rabbit?            

            The earliest record I could find of this dish was 1547 at the end of Henry VIII’s reign when the Welsh were predominant in the royal court and London . One Andrew Boorde, a Londoner seemingly hated the Welsh and wished for the day they would leave the city with their “cause babe.” He was unable to pronounce “Caws (Wedi’i) Bobi (Toasted Cheese),” if the terms Welsh Rarebit or Rabbit were in existence, it is reasonable they would have been used by him.

Later, there is a recipe by the French gourmet Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) itemized in the Cassell’s “Dictionary of Cookery (1885).” Brillat-Savarin is famous for the quote, “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” He used the term Welsh Rarebit for a sauce recipe in which he used eggs in place of milk or beer.

            Concurrently, in 1814, a time when French chefs were not high on British cooking, Chef Beauvilliers when compiling his “L’Art du Cuisinier” did include five recipes from across the channel. One of these recipes was called Wouelche Rabette translated as Welsh Rarebit. Today, the term Rôtie au Fromage – Roasted (Toasted) Cheese is in common usage in France .

About fifty years later, in 1861, the distinguished cookery writer Isabella Beeton published her prolific “Beeton’s Book of Household Management.” Yes, she had a recipe for toasted cheese referring to it only as Welsh Rare-bit. In 1961, a condensed centennial version of her book entitled “Mrs Beeton’s All About Cookery” was published again referring to it only as Rarebit.

            In 1867, Lady Llanofer (preferred spelling today over Llanover) of Gwent published her landmark book “The First Principles of Good Cookery,” the first book ever published on Welsh food, recipes and household management. In her book, written in English, she lists a recipe (the original one - a thick slice of toasted cheese) for the dish as Welsh Toasted Cheese - Caws wedi ei Bobi not mentioning the “R” words at all. Although Lady Llanofer was of English heritage, she adopted the land of her birth with gusto. She worked all her life to preserve the Welsh language, culture and dress in spite of the mocking and sneering of friends from both sides of the border. For more on Lady Llanofer, visit two wonderful websites: www.ladyllanover.org.uk and the second: web.ukonline.co.uk/gwenynen.gwent.

            A 20^th century reference, Harmsworth’s Universal Encyclopedia (ca.1935) published in London states, “The word was originally rarebit, but it has become popularized as rabbit (on the Saxon side on the border! (my parenthesis)).”

The first Welsh recipe book of the 20^th century, costing one shilling was “Croeso Cymreig – A Welsh Welcome (1953)” and represented a simple collection of basic traditional recipes and menus. The book lists Caws Pobi and Welsh Rarebit only. Likewise, Theodora FitzGibbon, the prolific Celtic food writer (Taste of Wales, etc.) of the 1970s, uses the terms Caws Pobi/Welsh Rarebit only.

I have seen references made to the US published “The Complete Book of Cheese (1955)” by Bob Brown as the be all and end all of cheese. Not the case! This book lists 65 recipes for Welsh Rabbit, many of which would remind one of a pizza menu. Each topping constituting a recipe whether, it is anchovy, canned corn, eel, kidney beans or sardines, etc. Alas, although Brown had several cookbooks to his credit, he, along with many American writers, even if he may have known Wales existed as a country, was obviously not in tune with the Brit scene and Welsh bashing! He even refers to the dish as “real aboriginal Welsh Rabbit.” In his defence and of the many other American cookbook writers, the American mind seems to be trying to make sense out of a seemingly illogical combination of words whereas the Welsh are using rarebit to blunt an insulting name degradation of a popular national dish.

S. Minwel Tibbott, the esteemed former Food Director of the St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life published several books and articles in both Welsh and English. Minwel unquestionably favored Caws Pobi, Caws Wedi’i Bobi or Welsh Rarebit. Her Welsh Rarebit recipe reflected the original version of a toasted cheese slice. However, she did list a recipe for it using beer to make a cheese sauce, calling it Caws a Chwrw – Cheese and Beer.

Bobby Freeman was the author of the acclaimed book, “First Catch Your Peacock (1980)” later published in US under the title, “Traditional Food From Wales (1997).” This book was the culmination of thirty years researching authentic Welsh dishes to serve in her Fishguard restaurant. She uses Caws Pobi frequently and prefers Welsh Rarebit usage but is somewhat ambivalent on Welsh Rabbit. I honestly believe she was not aware of the negative connotations.

Referencing the Penguin Book’s “Companion to Food (1999, 2002 Ed)” I was utterly shocked how negative their Rarebit section is - listed under Welsh Rabbit. They were also very negative on the other Welsh entries, eg, leek, Wales , etc.

Many Welsh cookbooks have been published in the period 1980 to 2005 and to the best of my knowledge all use Rarebit over Rabbit. This is also true amongst all the TV, radio and newspaper personalities such as: Angela Gray, Dudley Newbery, Colin Pressdee, Sandra Williams and Gilli Davies. From my travels, almost all restaurants and hotels in Wales prefer using Welsh Rarebit even if English owned. Perhaps offering the greatest creditability is the Welsh Assembly’s authority for agriculture, fisheries and food; the Welsh Development Agency’s Food Directorate uses Welsh Rarebit exclusively in all its publications and in those books and other publications it has sponsored.

The conclusion on whether it’s Rarebit or Rabbit? It depends on which side of the Welsh/Saxon border you are positioned! My survey of the evidence from literature and informal polls indicates if you are Welsh or closely connected with Wales , particularly, if affiliated with the food scene, the preference is Welsh Rarebit. The use of the Welsh name, “Caws Pobi” is preferred in Welsh language cook books and continues to be very popular amongst English language food writers compiling Welsh cookbooks.

On the Saxon side of the border, it’s a mixed bag but the general preference, even if cookbook writers are closely connected to the food scene, is to use the uncomplimentary Welsh Rabbit term.

  Today, what is now considered the traditional cheese dish is, of course, a sauce and has evolved substantially from the original recipe. Now the beer is in the rarebit and in the mug! As such, some may wish to promote Welsh cheeses while adopting a new name “Caerphilly Cheese Sauce - Saws Caws Caerffili” (or substitute your favorite Welsh cheese name)! Please send me an email and vote: rarebit or rabbit!

“Alliff rhywun ddim byw heb fwyd Cymreig da - One cannot live without good Welsh food!”  

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CAWS POBI - WELSH RAREBIT

   Saws Caws Caerffili – Caerphilly Cheese Sauce

Served over Oven Roasted Fresh Vegetables

By BBC Wales TV Chef Angela Gray

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

The selection below is optional, you may select other vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, etc.

3 med             tomatoes, sliced in half crosswise

2                      red peppers, each cut into 6 lengthwise, seeds removed

6                      asparagus shoots

2                      green peppers, each cut into 6 lengthwise, seeds removed

1 sm                eggplant, cut into 12 slices

1                      red onions, each peeled and sliced into 6 sections

6                      cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half

1 sm                 butternut squash, cut into 12 pieces

1 sm                 acorn squash, cut into 12 pieces

3 sm                 zucchini, halved lengthwise

                        chives or sm portion of a leek, chopped for garnish

                        parsley, fine chopped

                        olive oil for brushing, sautéing

                        sea salt and pepper

Welsh Rarebit Sauce:    -

14 oz                Caerphilly Cheese

4   oz                Welsh Black Mountain Cheese or other mature Welsh Cheddar

4 tbsp               Welsh ESB ale or other favorite ale or beer.

1 1/2 tsp           Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp                 Welsh dry mustard – sub. Coleman’s English Dry

1                      egg. lg

2-3 dashes     cayenne pepper, or to taste

Method:  

    Set oven to 400F. Place tomatoes on a tray, cut side up, along with other vegetables. Lightly brush the vegetables with olive oil, season with the sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle tomatoes with parsley. Place tray of vegetables in oven for about15 to 20 minutes until just done and nicely golden, keep warm.  

    Meanwhile, make the rarebit; heat the ale and Worcestershire sauce, add the cheese and melt slowly. Stir in mustard and cayenne, cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg. Bring back to heat carefully without boiling.  

    Divide the vegetables into individual ramekins or place on one large dish, reserve the tomatoes and keep warm. Top the vegetables with the cheese sauce. Place tomatoes on top, garnish with chives or leek, serve with crusty bread.  

Recipe from The Welsh Cheese Book by Angela Gray, published by Gomer Press, Wales. (To purchase a copy please click for details.)

Recipe adapted for North American cuisine by Ken Thorne - comments or questions please contact by email.

Copyright © 2005 Ken Thorne