avatarCarolyn Hastings

Summary

The web content discusses the importance of anchovies in authentic Worcestershire Sauce, emphasizing the umami flavor they contribute, and invites poets to participate in a food poetry prompt centered around anchovies.

Abstract

The article titled "There’s Nothing Wussy About Worcestershire" on the undefined website delves into the significance of anchovies in the traditional recipe of Worcestershire Sauce. It highlights the brand Lea & Perrins® as the original and best producer of the sauce, which originated in Worcester, UK, and includes real anchovies for the true umami taste. The piece is interspersed with personal pantry photos and poetry in the form of dodoitsu, a Japanese micropoetry style with a 7–7–7–5 syllable structure. The author, Carolyn Hastings, humorously critiques sauces that exclude anchovies, labeling them as inferior "worst"ershire sauces. The article also touches on the correct pronunciation of "Worcestershire" and the history of the sauce, tracing its roots back to Bengal, India. Additionally, Hastings acknowledges Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 for inspiring the anchovy-themed poetry prompt and extends an invitation to other poets to contribute their works.

Opinions

  • The author believes that Worcestershire Sauce without anchovies is not authentic and should be considered a lesser product.
  • Carolyn Hastings expresses a strong preference for Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce, suggesting it as the only true version due to its inclusion of anchovies.
  • The article conveys the idea that the correct pronunciation of "Worcestershire" is crucial, even poking fun at the complexity of its pronunciation.
  • The author values the dodoitsu poetic form and emphasizes the importance of syllable accuracy in poetry.
  • Hastings appreciates the role of food history and acknowledges the Indian origins of Worcestershire Sauce.
  • There is a clear admiration for Lucy Dan 蛋小姐's contributions to food poetry prompts, and an enthusiastic invitation is extended to other poets to engage with the anchovy theme.

Dodoitsu | Micropoetry | Food

There’s Nothing Wussy About Worcestershire

TBiaN Food Poetry Prompt: Anchovies

Look at what’s in my pantry! (image courtesy of author)

Salty anchovy fillets for Caesar salad dressing or scrumptious beef stroganoff with Worcestershire sauce

Another peek in my pantry! (image courtesy of author)

Worcestershire sans anchovies isn’t the real deal at all It needs true fishy goodness for umami mwah!

In case you don’t believe me — here’s proof of the anchovies! (image courtesy of author)

Lea and Perrins® is the best original recipe produced in Worcester, UK with real anchovies

© Carolyn Hastings 2021

The word, Worcester, as distinct from the gorgeous English town that bears its name, defies logic and is pronounced, not as three syllables but two — wooss-tuh (as in, ‘You big wuss’ — rhymes with ‘puss’).

In the same vein — or is that, vat, given that we’re talking sauce, not blood — Worcestershire is pronounced in a way that curdles the brain cells. On their website, Lea & Perrins® suggest three acceptable ways of pronouncing their sauce’s name — all have three syllables -

Worcestershire can be properly pronounced a few ways: “WUST-ter-shire”, “WOOS-ter-sheer”, “WOOS-ter-sher” sauce. But the easiest way to say Worcestershire Sauce is Lea & Perrins® Source (as opposed to sauce!)

The syllable count is important because the three micropoems I’ve written are all dodoitsu, a form of Japanese micropoetry that has a 7–7–7–5 syllable line structure. Mispronunciations and cultural variations in how words are pronounced can really mess up a poem’s syllable count. I was introduced to dodoitsu by Somsubhra Banerjee in his whimsical poem, Blossoming Friendship via jenine bsharah baines’ tribute, Thank you, Winston the Stick. Neither poem has anything to do with anchovies, but they’re both well worth a read. 🙏

But enough of the poetry and pronunciation lessons, this is about anchovies and Worcestershire Sauce! When it comes to sauces, Worcestershire is one of my family’s staples along with tomato, BBQ, American mustard, and soy. But let me tell you, any sauce that tries to call itself Worcestershire but skimps on the anchovies should be renamed, worstershire sauce — with a small ‘w’ for extra insult! Some of the small ‘w’-wussy sauces try to get away with it by substituting soy sauce and other flavourings for the anchovies but as any Lea & Perrins® diehard knows, it just doesn’t cut the mustard! 😄

If food history is your thing, you might be interested to know that Worcestershire Sauce has its origins in Bengal, India. You can read the story here -

And one last thing. It would be very remiss of me not to mention Worcestershire Sauce and egg, especially as it was Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) (formerly known as Lucy the eggademic because of her love of all things eggy) who prompted me to write about anchovies. Believe me, if you’re looking for some umami mwah, a splash or two of Lea & Perrins® authentic Worcestershire Sauce on poached egg will do it! 😋

Okay, I know anchovies are not necessarily everyone’s idea of wonderfood but if you have something poetic to offer about anchovies, think about joining the prompt. How about it, James G Brennan | Squeeze the Avocado | Trista Signe Ainsworth | Caroline de Braganza | Victor Sarkin? You can find all you need to know about the prompt right here –

Thank you, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), for your overflowing pantry of tempting food poetry prompts. Where would we be without you and The Brain is a Noodle? 😊 🙏 💕

Poetry
Poetry Prompt
Food Poetry
Food
Dodoitsu
Recommended from ReadMedium
avatarSam Aureli
Beyond the Echo Chamber

Voices in My Head Series | Bridging Divides in a Fragmented World

1 min read
avatarJenny Lane
Are you ready?

Arms wide open, palms up open

2 min read
avatarChantal Weiss
Warped Identity

I hurt every day — A poem

2 min read
avatarJenine "Jeni" Baines
Spin Cycle

Talking Myself Through SAD/Seasonal Affective Disorder

2 min read
avatarTheodore McDowell
The Dusk of Desperation on Cannon Beach

Beachcombing for unshattered shells

2 min read
avatarKent Burkhardsmeier
In Balance

Harmony transcends chaos when aligned with nature

2 min read