Saucy

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Saucy"

Podcast: Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities
Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Aaron Mahnke
Episode Theme:
This episode unpacks the extraordinary impact of food on history and culture through two bite-sized tales: the infamous “Affair of the Sausages” in 16th-century Zurich and the accidental invention of Worcestershire sauce in 19th-century England. Both stories explore how something as mundane as what we eat can ignite controversy, inspire reform, and become legend.

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Story 1: The Affair of the Sausages—When Dinner Became Dissent

[01:11 – 07:00]

Key Discussion Points

• Food and Controversy

  • Aaron Mahnke opens with the assertion:
    “Nothing tells the story of human life and culture quite like food. What we eat is central to ritual, politics, and society in general, no matter how ordinary it may seem in the moment.”
    (Aaron Mahnke, 01:11)
  • The Christian tradition of Lent involved giving up meat, with only fish allowed.
  • On March 9, 1522, Zurich printer Christoph Froschauer hosted a Lenten feast where sausages replaced the customary fish.

• Breaking Tradition Sparks a Movement

  • Froschauer, some guests, and a supportive pastor, Huldrich Zwingli, attended the meal.
  • Though Zwingli himself did not eat the sausages, he blessed the meal and stood by its principle.
  • The act defied canon law; most participants were jailed, but Zwingli wasn't.

• Zwingli’s Stand for “Freedom of Foods”

  • Instead of laying low, Zwingli delivered a transformative sermon titled “Regarding the Choice and Freedom of Foods,” advocating for personal choice regarding fasting rules.
  • Froschauer helped print and distribute the sermon, amplifying Zwingli’s message.

• Repercussions and Reform

  • Zwingli’s sermon reached the local bishop, causing outrage but also fueling support for reform.
  • Zwingli’s personal history as a plague survivor endeared him to locals, making intimidation tactics ineffective.
  • The incident became a turning point in the Protestant Reformation in Zurich.

• A Martyr’s Fate and the Real Story

  • War eventually broke out between Catholic and Protestant Swiss states.
  • Zwingli fought for Zurich but was killed in battle on October 11, 1531.
  • Mahnke reveals a twist:
    “Historians now believe that something less organic took place at that heretical dinner...Zwingli may have actually staged the whole thing as a demonstration to push his radical ideas forward.”
    (Aaron Mahnke, 06:21)

Notable Quotes

• On the power of a staged meal:
  “He just needed the proper controversy to make his opinions known and by blessing a sausage, he changed his country forever.”
  (Aaron Mahnke, 06:47)

Memorable Moments

• Zwingli’s sermon as a media event, distributed by the very man whose dinner started the uproar.
• The twist that the “affair of the sausages” was possibly orchestrated, making it as much about political theater as religious doctrine.

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Story 2: The Serendipitous Birth of Worcestershire Sauce

[07:00 – 08:11]

Key Discussion Points

• A Nobleman’s Craving

  • In 1835, an English nobleman, recently returned from British India, enters a Worcester pharmacy owned by John Lee and William Perrins. He asks them to replicate a spicy sauce he loved abroad.

• A Failed Experiment Turned Iconic

  • Lee and Perrins attempt to create the sauce but end up with “completely inedible” results.
    “It smelled so awful, the chemist didn’t even know if they could dump it out without getting complaints from the whole neighborhood.”
    (Aaron Mahnke, 07:46)
  • The failed batch sits unused in their cellar for two years.

• Accidental Fermentation

  • When cleaning out the cellar, they taste the sauce again—the long fermentation has magically transformed its flavor.
  • They bottle it, distribute samples, and even commission passenger ships to offer it to travelers.

• Cultural Impact

  • The sauce quickly becomes a staple, leading to a booming business and inspiring many imitators.
  • The name immortalizes its birthplace: Worcestershire sauce.

Memorable Moments

• The vivid description of the original batch’s horrid smell, and the comical avoidance of disposal.
• The “out of sight, out of mind” story, only for forgotten sauce to become a culinary legend.

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Episode Takeaway

• Food as Catalyst
  • Both stories demonstrate the unexpected, far-reaching consequences of what ends up on our tables.
  • As Mahnke notes:
    “If we know anything about religious movements, it’s that they certainly love a martyr—even when that martyr’s story was...[one] that needs a bit of editing to get started.”
    (Aaron Mahnke, 06:09)
  • Whether by design or by accident, food continues to shape history, belief, and daily life.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:11] Introduction and the role of food in history
• [01:45] The Affair of the Sausages, fasting, and Zurich’s Lenten feast
• [02:50] Zwingli’s sermon and its spread
• [05:07] Consequences for Zurich and religious reform
• [06:21] The twist: was it all staged?
• [07:00] The invention of Worcestershire sauce
• [07:46] Failed recipe and the accidental creation
• [08:11] Conclusion

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Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities continues its tradition of unearthing the unexpected, with “Saucy” serving up two stories that remind us even the simplest meals can have revolutionary consequences.

Transcript

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[Erin Menke]

Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

[Erin Menke]

Nothing tells the story of human life and culture quite like food. What we eat is central to ritual, politics, and society in general, no matter how ordinary it may seem in the moment. Which means that throughout the scope of history, food itself has become the source of intense controversy. The Christian season of Lent, for instance, is supposed to be a time of fasting and self denial. Today you might see someone give up drinking or eating sugar for 40 days, but the older tradition is to give up meat. In medieval Christian communities, only fish could be served at meals during Lent, that is, until March 9th of 1522. On that night in the Swiss city of Zurich, a printer named Christoph Froschauer gathered his employees and some local officials into his parlor for a Lenten feast. The however, instead of the customary fish, they served sausages. One of the men in attendance was Pastor Huldrich Zwingli, who blessed the meal. Now at that time it was forbidden by the church to eat meat during Lent, so word about the anti Christian meal spread fast. Froscher and most of the others who had attended were jailed for breaking canon law. Zwingli, the priest, wasn't arrested and might have gotten away free and clear, but he didn't intend to keep his head down for long. Even though he hadn't eaten any of the sausage himself at the meal, he felt the principle of the gathering needed to be discussed. The following Sunday he delivered a sermon called Regarding the Choice and Freedom of Foods. His message went on to outline his perspective on fasting and its place in church doctrine and how the specifics of it should not be prescribed law. And then Christoph Rocher, the printer whose meal sparked the controversy in the first place, helped print and distribute the sermon upon his release from jail. As a result, Zwingli's sermon reached the local bishop, who was outraged. But there was only so little he could do to stem the tide of support. Zwingli was a popular local figure. Three years earlier, he had contracted the plague during an outbreak in Zurich, and rather than flee the city, he stayed to take care of the sick and somehow miraculously recovered from his illness. Which doesn't sound like the sort of guy that you can intimidate into silence. The Protestant Reformation, which had begun in 1517, fully kicked off in Zurich, thanks to Zwingli and his heretical meal. Zwingli petitioned the local bishop to fully do away with the requirement to fast during Lent, and Zurich's city council debated the matter extensively. In the end, the Swiss states were divided, some choosing to remain Catholic, others turning away from the strict rules of Catholicism. The movement was historic, but it didn't end well for everyone. In October of 1531, the Catholic states declared war on the city of Zurich. Zwingli took to the field in defense of his city and his faith as a soldier. On 11 October, 3,500 volunteers went to battle against a force more than twice their size. After an hour of fighting, 500 had been killed, including Huldrich Zwingli. But if we know anything about religious movements, it's that they certainly love a martyr, even when that martyr's story was. Needs a bit of editing to get started. You see, historians now believe that something less organic took place at that heretical dinner now known as the affair of the sausages. It seems that Zwingli may have actually staged the whole thing as a demonstration to push his radical ideas forward. Which means it was a move that was just as political as it was spiritual in principle. He just needed the proper controversy to make his opinions known as. And by blessing a sausage, he changed his country forever. In 1835, a nobleman visited a pharmacy in an English cathedral city on the River Severn. The shop was owned by two local chemists, John Lee and William Perrins, who were known for manufacturing their own medicines. But in this case, the nobleman hoped that they could help him mix up something a little tastier. The nobleman had just come home from India, which was a British colony at the time. He'd been serving as a governor there for many years, and he'd grown to love a certain sauce that was served with Indian cuisine. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't find a similar one anywhere in England. So he described the sauce to the chemists as best he could. He didn't know the exact recipe, but it was strongly spiced. It had hints of onion and fish. And the chemists copied down his instructions and told him that they weren't really sure if they could get their hands on all the ingredients, but if they could, they would try their best to replicate the recipe. It took some work, but Lee and Perrins acquired all the ingredients they needed, and they mixed it all up in a barrel and making the sauce in the back room of their shop. They were hoping that if it turned out well, they could bottle up the extra and sell it in the pharmacy. But when they tried the taste of this finished product, it was completely inedible. In fact, it smelled so awful, the chemist didn't even know if they could dump it out without getting complaints from the whole neighborhood. So they just put the barrel in the cellar and then tried to forget the whole disaster had ever happened. Which, amazingly, is what they did. That barrel collected dust for the next two years, out of sight and out of mind. But in 1837, Lee and Perrins needed to free up some storage space, and so they decided it was time for some long overdue cleaning. And while they were going through their cellar, they found the abandoned barrel of sauce. It had been so long that they'd forgotten what it actually tasted like, so they decided to pry open the barrel for one last sample before throwing it out. And to their surprise, after being left to ferment for two whole years, the sauce's flavors had mellowed out and come together. The chemists agreed that it actually tasted pretty good, so they packaged it up in spare medicine bottles and began selling it to their customers. They sent out free samples to drum up demand and even paid some British passenger ships to put the sauce in their dining rooms so that curious travelers might try it. And sure enough, everyone who tasted it was instantly hooked. It was such a hit that Lee and Perrins soon outgrew their little shop and had to open a new warehouse in London. Before long, their new sauce became a staple of British dining that inspired dozens of imitators. Although their own original recipe remained a closely guarded secret, that once forgotten barrel is no longer out of mind. Today, Lee and Perrin's creation is so popular that you can buy it in practically any grocery store in the English speaking world. And it still carries a name inspired by the city and county where it was first created, A little condiment called Worcestershire sauce.

[Aaron Mahnke]

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the cabinet of curiosities subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities Podcast. The show was created by me, Aaron Manke in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show and you can learn all about it [e-mail] and until next time, stay curious.

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