The culinary mystery of the rabbit that never actually existed
It is a dish of melted cheese, ale, and mustard, yet it bears the name of a small mammal. Whether it was a playful joke or a linguistic error, the history of Welsh rarebit reveals a fascinating struggle between culinary humor and pedantic correction.
The term 'Welsh rabbit' first appeared in an English context in 1725, though the dish itself may have roots in the 1500s Welsh dish 'caws pobi' (baked cheese). The name was likely intended as a jocularism, perhaps implying that the closest the Welsh could afford to rabbit was melted cheese on toast, or using 'Welsh' as a pejorative for something substandard. This tradition of humorous food naming is seen in other dishes like 'Scotch woodcock' (scrambled eggs and anchovies) and 'Irish apricot' (potato).
Over time, a linguistic shift occurred. While 18th-century cookbooks like Hannah Glasse's 1747 'The Art of Cookery' listed variants such as 'Scotch rabbit' and 'English rabbit', the word 'rabbit' eventually morphed into 'rarebit'. This transition was met with significant resistance from intellectuals. Writers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Brander Matthews (1892) and H.W. Fowler (1926), mocked the 'correction' of the funny 'rabbit' into the 'pedantic' and 'stupid' 'rarebit'.
Despite the linguistic debate, the dish's preparation has varied widely. Some recipes are simple cheese on toast, while others involve a complex sauce of cheese, ale, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Historical variations even included an 'English rabbit' prepared with red wine. Beyond the plate, the dish has entered folklore; the 1902 'Welsh Rarebit Tales' suggests that eating the dish before sleep can induce vivid, even horrific, dreams, a concept famously explored in Winsor McCay's 'Dream of the Rarebit Fiend' comic strip.
Source: Welsh rarebit
