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Also known as: Welsh rabbit
Written by
Laura Siciliano-Rosen
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
Welsh rarebit, a traditional British dish consisting of toasted bread topped with a savory cheddar cheese sauce that typically includes such ingredients as beer or ale, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, mustard, and paprika. If an egg is served atop the dish, it is called buck rarebit.
The origins of the name are uncertain. The earliest cited use of the term Welsh rabbit was in 1725, with the alternative form rarebit (a word that has no meaning aside from this dish) appearing in 1785. A popular legend suggests that the meat-based name for this meatless dish stems from Welsh peasants for whom cheese was a substitute for the meat they could not afford. Whatever its origins, the dish is today a staple of British fare and a common pub food, often paired with a pint of beer or ale.
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