Welsh rabbit

American  

noun

1. a dish of melted cheese, usually mixed with ale or beer, milk, and spices, served over toast.

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Welsh rabbit British  

noun

1. Also called: Welsh rarebit.   rarebit.  a savoury dish consisting of melted cheese sometimes mixed with milk, seasonings, etc, on hot buttered toast

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Etymology

Origin of Welsh rabbit

First recorded in 1715–25; probably of jocular origin; later Welsh rarebit by folk etymology

Example Sentences

The name Welsh rarebit appeared much later, with early English cookbooks, such as Hannah Glasse's in 1747, using terms including Welsh rabbit and Scotch rabbit for similar cheese on toast recipes.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

She added that many mistakenly think Welsh rarebit contains rabbit because the dish was originally called "Welsh rabbit" in 1725.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

In 1972: sautéed frog legs Provençal, creamed Welsh rabbit on a Holland rusk, and, in a gust of brand names, “Hollywood Diet Bread” and “Steamed Uncle Ben’s Rice.”

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2017

Thanks to Franey, the menu at any orange-topped Howard Johnson restaurant around the U.S. now includes Welsh rabbit, chicken stroganoff, veal scallopini, lamb curry and seafood thermidor.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Little darling!—with her long curls and her blue eyes, and such a sweet colour as she has; just as if she were painted!—Bessie, I could fancy a Welsh rabbit for supper.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë