The Cumberland sauce is a savory sauce of English origin, made from red currant jelly, mustard, pepper, orange peel, and Port wine.
It is believed to originate from the 19th century, with conjectural reasons for its name being in honor of a Duke of Cumberland or a reference to the namesake county where it might have originated.
The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as “a sauce served especially with cold meats,” as it pairs well with meat and poultry dishes. It is often served with lamb and ham.
A Polish variant omits mustard and wine, adds horseradish, and fries the orange peel before adding it to the mixture.
The New Zealand version adds grated beetroot.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: English
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Cumberland sauce:
- 9 oz red currant jelly
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 2 oranges (juice and peel)
- 3/4 cup Port wine
- to taste salt and pepper
Steps
Boil the matchstick-cut orange peels in 50 ml of water until absorbed.
Place all ingredients (except the orange peels) in a pot and thicken (about 30 minutes).
Serve with the orange peels.
Once sealed, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
Cumberland is one of the 39 historic counties, located in northwest England. The namesake sauce is also available ready-made, in jars.
The county is also famous for the Cumberland sausage usually stuffed with minced pork, to which pepper, thyme, sage, nutmeg, and Cayenne pepper are added, and a bit of rusk as a binder.
Traditionally, no colorings or preservatives are added.
