Worcestershire sauce encyclopaedist Pliny the Elder writes in his "Historia Naturalis" and the fourth/fifth-century Roman culinary text Apicius includes garum in its recipes. The use of similar fermented anchovy sauces in Europe can be traced back to the 17th century. The Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and has continued to be the leading global brand of Worcestershire sauce. The origin of the Lea & Perrins recipe is unclear. The packaging originally stated that the sauce came "from the recipe of a nobleman in the county". The company has also claimed that "Lord Marcus Sandys, ex-Governor of Bengal" encountered it
Worcestershire sauce restaurants provide a bottle on each table. Over 120,000 gallons is consumed annually, the highest per-capita consumption in the world. In Japan, Worcestershire sauce is labelled "Worcester" (rather than "Worcestershire") in katakana. Thicker, Worcestershire sauce-based sauces are manufactured there under brand names such as Otafuku and Bulldog, but these are brown sauces more similar to HP Sauce rather than any type of Worcestershire sauce. Tonkatsu sauce is a variation of Worcestershire sauce associated with the dish tonkatsu. It is a vegetarian sauce made from vegetables and fruits. Gy-NGuang Worcestershire sauce has been produced since 1917. Holbrook's worcestershire has been produced