Who Were Lea & Perrins, And How Did They End Up Inventing Worcestershire Sauce?

The year was 1835 — a year that an unassuming science experiment by two English chemists would shift the world of condiments. John Wheely Lea and William Perrins, whose namesakes appear on bottles of the original Worcestershire sauce, created the tangy, umami condiment in somewhat of a happy accident in their pharmacy in the town of Worcester, England. Legend has it that the two men developed the recipe in response to a request to recreate a beloved Indian sauce of a nobleman returning from his governance in India during the British occupation. (Though some say it was actually the nobleman's wife who wanted a curry equivalent.) What resulted would become what is now known and loved as Worcestershire sauce: a savory mixture including barley malt vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, fish, tamarind, onions, garlic, and spices. 

The chemists' experimental concoction actually had such a funky smell and flavor, it's said, that Lea and Perrins stored a bottle away in a cupboard for 18 months, where they later found it — now with a pleasant, complex fermented flavor. What followed was the invention of Lea & Perrins' "The Original Worcestershire Sauce" — and a hard-selling marketing campaign, proliferating the condiment far and wide. In 1937, the scientists first sold the sauce, introducing it to British voyages (wrapping bottles in paper to protect them during sea transport) for steak sauce, marinades, and other cooking applications. In 1839, the sauce was exported to the U.S., and today it's sold globally in over 130 countries.

Worcestershire is delicious on steak, or sprinkled into a tried-and-true Bloody Mary recipe. Though the sauce (now owned by Kraft Heinz) originally boasted high claims, including use as a digestive aid and that "the rare ingredients used in its preparation are grateful to the palette and peculiarly acceptable to everyone," the exact recipe has long been secret. The ingredient label lists malt vinegar, sugar, and ingredients like anchovies, but specific spices and flavorings have been kept proprietary. The mystery is perhaps part of the condiments' lure — and some people have gone lengths to posit that the original recipe included soy sauce. Still, the exact ingredients are as unclear as the correct way to pronounce the sauce's name and the disputed identity of the nobleman who requested its development in the first place. 

The launch of Lea & Perrins' was followed by a series of imitation Worcestershire sauces, including Courtenay & Co, a brand that boldly claimed to be the only makers of the product and even the ones who patented it. Unfortunately, Lea and Perrins were not able to secure a trademark on the sauce; though in 1904, the sauce earned a Royal Warrant for its regular supply to the royal household. Today, many of the best and worst Worcestershire sauce brands exist (though versions in the U.S. vary in their use of distilled vinegar instead of malt, and their higher sweetness and sodium), signifying the beloved taste and successful marketing campaign the English chemists set into motion.