The United States consumes 27 million bottles of Worcestershire sauce per year, but have you ever wondered about the history of this stinky, storied flavor bomb?

It all started in 1835 when nobleman Lord Sandys went to Bengal and fell in love with the local fish sauce. When he returned to Worcester, he enlisted chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Harry Perrins to help make “Worcestershire” sauce in England. At first, their invention tasted horrible, so Lord Sandys abandoned the project. Lea & Perrins decided to hold on to the brew, let it ferment, and after some time they uncovered something truly delicious.

The sauce itself has only four main ingredients – garlic, onions, anchovies, and Tamarind paste, The last, and most important, stop before shipping to 130 countries across the globe is the secret spice combination – and only six people in the world know it.