Also, and possibly more correctly, known as Welsh rabbit, this dish is possibly not Welsh (welsh was a word used to mean foreigner), and certainly doesn't contain rabbit. Welsh rabbit was the earliest known term for this dish, dating back to the early 18th century, which was later corrupted to rarebit. Although it may not have originally been a Welsh dish, and another reason it may have got that name was because of the linking of Wales with cheese, there is also evidence of there being English, Scotch and Irish rabbits too.
This dish is basically cheese on toast. In its most common variants, a piece of toast is covered with a sauce made from melted cheese. The cheese, in the UK at least, is typically Cheddar (which is a good cheese for melting), and other ingredients are added to it. Some common ones are mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and there are also various boozy Welsh rarebit variations in which alcohol, such as beer or ale, or possibly cider, are also added. Where it differs from normal cheese on toast is that the cheese is typically made into a sauce, whilst in the normal version it is sliced and placed on top of the toast, and then melted.
Another variant is the buck rabbit, which is Welsh rarebit served with an egg on top.
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