Welsh cuisine butter was the primary cooking medium and basis for sauces. Salt was an important ingredient in Welsh butter, but also in early Welsh cheeses, which would sit in brine during the cheesemaking process. The Welsh were also early adopters of roasting cheese. An early incarnation of Welsh rarebit was being made in medieval times, and by the middle of the 15th century rarebit was considered a national dish. The acid soil of Wales meant that the milk produced by their cattle created a soft cheese, which was not as good for roasting, so Welsh people would trade for harder cheeses
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend Nemo", was likely exposed to "Rarebit Fiend", which appeared in "The San Francisco Examiner", which Barks read growing up. Several episodes of Barks's Donald Duck strips appear to have taken their subjects from "Rarebit Fiend". Many scenes from animated films by Tex Avery from between 1943 and 1954 are said to show clearly a "Rarebit Fiend" influence. Science fiction illustrator Frank R. Paul painted a number of pulp magazine covers influenced by "Rarebit Fiend". Art Spiegelman paid parodic homage to "Rarebit Fiend" in his 1974 strip "Real Dream". In 1991, Rick Veitch began producing short comics based on his dreams.