Worchestershire sauce was invented by John Lea and William Perrins in the 1830s, in Worcester England. The recipe is secret but is based on anchovies, and other ingredients like vinegar, onions, spices, tamarind, molasses, soy sauce and other seasonings. Lea and Perrins thought the original formulation was a failure.  Not wanting to be wasteful, they put the sauce in a barrel and left it. As time passed they discovered that the mixture fermented, dramatically improving in developing a rich and  strong umami flavor profile.  Worcestershire has a long shelf-life due to the fermentation process.