Welsh Rarebit Is the British Comfort Food You’ll Want to Make All the Time

Welsh rarebit is a favorite lunch, snack, or supper in the British Isles—and despite its name, it’s not a Welsh dish. Another disclaimer, the dish is also known as Welsh rabbit, but there’s no meat in it. Welsh rarebit is a cozy, enriched cheese on toast made with cheddar, beer, and mustard—our version adds Worcestershire sauce to amp up the flavor, and egg yolks for richness and loft. The cheesy mixture is spread on sliced bread that has been toasted on one side under the broiler, then broiled until golden brown. Welsh rarebit is best enjoyed hot, perhaps with a mug of ale—or a cup of tea—and it’s one of our favorite easy meals for a cold or rainy day.

What Is Welsh Rarebit?

Welsh rarebit is a time-honored dish whose origins are shrouded in mystery and open to contention. Was it originally called Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit? According to , the first mention of the dish in print was in 1725, and it was called Welsh rabbit. The move to rarebit is thought to be to avoid confusion about there being rabbit in the dish. 

Even the Welsh part of the dish’s name is confusing; in the 17th and 18th centuries “Welsh” was used to describe an inferior item or substitute for the real thing, hence a Welsh rabbit contained no rabbit, only cheese.

Until the end of the 19th century, Welsh rarebit was considered a savory, a now unknown type of dish served as a piquant bite after the entrees and before the desserts at formal dinners. was another popular savory. More recently, the dish has become a popular lunch, both to make at home or to order in a cafe in the U.K.

Variations

• While the classic rarebit is all about the cheese, our recipe tops each toast with slices of roasted tomato, which cut the fat of the cheese with their concentrated acidity and sweetness.
• Some versions swap the beer for milk.
• Putting an egg on top makes it a buck rarebit.

There are also less well-known variations:

• English rarebit: substituting red wine for the beer.
• Scotch or Scottish rarebit: using Scottish cheese in place of cheddar.
• Yorkshire rarebit: topped with bacon and a poached egg.