There are some memories you just never forget as a kid and one of them was my dad making scrambled eggs with Worcestershire sauce (yes, it tasted as bad as it sounds). I distinctly remember waking up in my bed one Saturday morning to the smell of burnt eggs, wondering if the house is on fire. While I was still lying in bed wondering what to do, my dad yelled from the downstairs that mom had gone off shopping, so he made breakfast. (Insert eight-year-old moan since my dad’s culinary skills were sorely lacking.)

My younger brother and I reluctantly trudged downstairs hoping the breakfast looked and tasted better than it smelled.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

My brother David and I were presented with plates stacked high of burnt and brown eggs that smelled like three-day-old fish.

Dad proudly announced that he had made Worcestershire scrambled eggs for us because he used to eat that in the military.

My eight-year-old mouth wanted to ask what he did to get in so much trouble to have to eat Worchestershire eggs, but my brother gagging on his first bite of eggs saved me.

My brother and I survived that dining experience with only bad stomach aches for the rest the day (but still didn’t get us out of weekend chores).

However, I have learned to like Worcestershire sauce (just not on eggs) since then. Worcestershire sauce tastes much better on steak or in a bloody mary.

What’s the history of Worcestershire sauce?

There’s an interesting history behind the development of Worcestershire sauce as are most things from England. Apparently well the Englishman had returned from Bengali and asked two London-based chemists (Lea & Perkins) to try to reproduce a sauce that he enjoyed while overseas

The two struggled to get the recipe correct and put one “failed” concoction in a jar in their basement and forgot about the jar for two years. When they re-discovered this “failed” recipe they actually found that the two years had allowed the vinegar to ferment and mellow the flavor and the sauce had became quite savory and tasty.

The two chemists, Lea & Perkins, then started selling their Worcestershire sauce to the cooks of British steamships. The original bottles were wrapped in paper to protect them from breaking during travel. The company still continues to wrap the bottles in paper as a nod to this history.

How is Worcestershire sauce made?

In case you didn’t know, the original Worcestershire sauce was made from vinegar and anchovies (which now explains the fish smell from my dad’s attempt at fine dining).

The original Lea & Perkins Worcestershire sauce ingredients contained barley malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, tamarind extract, garlic, onions, and other added spices.

The version sold in the United States has a higher sugar and salt content (about triple the sugar and salt) than the original English version which makes it a little less tart and sweeter.

How many carbs are in Worcestershire sauce?

Despite the added sugar, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce is still low carb with only 1 g of sugar in 1 teaspoon. It also doesn’t take much to add quite a bit of flavoring to steaks or seafood so it’s not typically a sauce that people overindulge.

Is Worcestershire sauce keto friendly?

So, yes, Worcestershire sauce is keto-friendly. Just don’t try adding it to eggs.