HP sauce is basically bitter ketchup and I’m not sure what to do with it. Maybe it goes on eel pie?
Actually, spelling one’s name with “ff” instead of a capital “F” is an English thing. Apparently this was common in medieval spelling (even though Latin does have a capital F), but as a purely orthographic affectation, it doesn’t have anything to do with the spoken sound. Though of course, if someone is pretentious enough to spell their name as ffitch or ffoulkes, they might well insist on a special pronunciation too.
I always knew it as “worster-shur” sauce and also as “that odd stuff my dad thinks is good on his steak but is way too vinegary”. Now I know it as a great way to add a little complex umami to any sauce or stew.
The HP sauce I’ve had is a brown, kinda-vinegary, kinda-sweet sauce that’s great on fries or any fried food. If yours is bitter then I’d be a little afraid to use it.
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HP sauce (or “brown sauce”, if you want to be brand-agnostic) is excellent on pretty much anything with a high fat content, as it cuts the greasiness.
So:
- sausages
- square sausage
- deep-fried haggis
- etc.
Edinburgh chip-shops offer a similar condiment, called simply “sauce”, that is both more liquid and more astringent.
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It’s actually ffreshacconci and it’s pronounced fffffffffffffth.
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I feel like that’s how Fletch would pronounce it.
HP sauce is very similar to A1, though maybe a little sweeter. It’s also thicker, which makes it a better burger topping.
Truthfully, I do mix up HP and A1, both being condiments that I don’t have in my home.
My English dad called it “wooster”, so not far off from your grandad’s pronunciation. The difference may have been regional.
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Nearly right. Pork pies. Or anything you’d put ketchup on really. Go mad, use both.
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“Wuss. Stuh. Sure.”
That’s how my Gram always pronounced it…
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Yes, in hispanic countries its Salsa Inglesa (English Sauce). There’s no confusion, people know exactly what you’re talking about when it comes to it. If you were to pick up something similar people would notice it has the wrong consistency, plus i assume the branding for HP would make it clear its not the typical “English Sauce”
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I suppose it depends on the country but Its rare to see HP sauce at the supermarket in Mexico. Not that I or anybody I know are ever looking for it.
Any confusion to be had will be with “jugo maggi” which is frequently used as a substitute. Totally different but with a similar flavour profile.
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Of course, Worcester is basically in the West Country, and they have almost as many cider addled bumkins as Gloucestershire or Somerset, and so the people of Worcestershire do pronounce it Wuss-terrr-sherrrr, with more or less emphasis on the 'r’s depending on how cider addled one is.
On a steak? No no no. Worcestershire sauce is best on melted cheese sandwiches. I would even say that it’s as much a part of a toasty as butter/marge would be to a normal sandwich.
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It’s spicier I think. I don’t use it because it’s quite sugary (last time I tasted it) but I do make onion marmalade with balsamic vinegar and red wine and some mix of spice usually including star anise, chillies, maybe cinnamon bark, clove powder, that kind of thing.
And it tastes quite a bit like brown sauce…
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Excellent point. The county is pronounced ‘Wust-a-shuh’ (or variants already discussed), but I was also told that in the sauce it’s just ‘Wust-a’.
I’d forgotten that.
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Whatsthishere Sauce
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