The 3rd of September is Welsh Rarebit Day.
The day celebrates the whimsical Welsh dish that is actually just a thick cheese sauce on toast, with no rabbit involved at all!
Just as in “toad in the hole” there’s no toad, and in “spotted dick” there’s no… well, you get the idea.
Welsh Rarebit is a posh version of Cheese on Toast because it involves not just cheese slung on a bit of bread, as the English do, but rather a sauce made with cheese, so more art goes into it.
Do you prefer the cheese sauce to be based on milk, or ale?
There are many different recipes and variations. More substantial versions have poached eggs and / or a slice of English bacon on them as well.
What kind of cheese do you like on your Welsh Rarebit?
Welsh Rarebit is a good snack to have with beer, and it’s a tasty meatless snack for vegetarians.
You could try making a vegan version with vegan cheese.
Welsh Rarebit is actually called “Welsh Rabbit”: no one is quite certain how the “rarebit” name came to be applied, but people like to invent stories, especially if there’s been a lot of ale in the sauce!
#WelshRarebitDay #NationalWelshRarebitDay
See also: Welsh Rabbit, Grilled Cheese Day
Recipes
- Welsh Rarebit Recipe (from University of Wyoming Extension office)
- Golden Buck Recipe
- Yorkshire Rabbit (aka Yorkshire Buck) Recipe
History
The earliest print mention that CooksInfo is aware of dates from 2005 in Wisconsin:
“Today is… National Welsh Rarebit Day” — Classifieds page. Oshkosh, Wisonsin: The Oshkosh Northwestern. Saturday, 3 September 2005. Page C8, page banner.
On the same day, mention of it also appeared in papers in Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ohio.
Sources
Bloom, Adele. National Welsh Rarebit Day. Roodepoort, South Africa: Roodepoort Record. 3 September 2017. Accessed August 2021 at https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2017/09/03/national-welsh-rarebit-day-2/
McAlpine, Fraser. Welsh Rarebit Day: What Exactly is a ‘Rarebit’? BBC America. September 2014. Accessed August 2021 at http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/09/welsh-rarebit-day-exactly-rarebit
McCarthy, Claire. We’re Celebrating Welsh Rarebit day…..All week. Ambleside, Cumbria, England: Rattle Ghyll, 31 August 2015. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.rattleghyll.com/news/2015/9/4/were-celebrating-welsh-rarebit-day
National Welsh Rarebit Day, 3rd September. Medium Magazine. 3 September 2020. Accessed August 2021 at https://medium.com/@felinfachcymru/national-welsh-rarebit-day-3rd-september-5c734ca31673
Smith, Emily. National Welsh rarebit day. CNN Eatocracy. 3 September 2012. Accessed August 2021 at https://cnneatocracy.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/national-welsh-rarebit-day/
Wright, Mary Ellen. Meatless Monday: Celebrate National Welsh Rarebit Day with traditional, hearty cheese dish. Lancaster, PA: LNP | LancasterOnline. 31 August 2015. Accessed August 2021 at https://lancasteronline.com/features/food/meatless-monday-celebrate-national-welsh-rarebit-day-with-traditional-hearty-cheese-dish/article_f7ce6424-4ffc-11e5-b9bd-0bfbbe409477.html