SAUCES: A BIT OF HISTORY AND FRENCH TYPES (Part 1)

Today I'm going to talk about those wonderful products that enrich many kinds of meal, and that we all know: sauces. You know that there are many kinds of sauces, but do you know all the regional variations? Or, for example, did you know that the Ancient Romans used sauces? In this post, I'll try to expand your knowledge in sauces.

• Garum, a primitive sauce.

Garum was a kind of fermented fish sauce; it was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking, the best condiment you could find. But they were not the creators of this sauce. Although it triumphed in the Roman World, it originally came from the Greeks, gaining its name from the Greek word "garos", which was referred to those fishes whose intestines were used in the sauce's production. Garum was prepared from the intestines of small fishes, and they also added salt. Finally, it was cured in the sun for one to three months. In the picture below you can see a recipient that served as a container for Garum.

• Etymology and explanation of the word sauce.

Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted. It is a kind of liquid or semi-solid food, which is used in preparing other foods. In most cases, sauces need a liquid component, but there are exceptions where you can find more solid elements than liquid.

• Different countries = different sauces.

There are many different cultures in the world; these cultures differ in certain aspects like clothing, social manners, and: cuisine!! Depending on the country you visit, you will find many differences in the way of cooking, and, above all, many different condiments and sauces! Below you can read the main sauces that distinguish French cuisine.

• French cuisine: sauces in French cuisine date back to the Middle Ages. There were hundreds of sauces in the culinary repertory. In fact, sauces are one of the major defining characteristics of French cuisine. Here you can distinguish five "mother" sauces:

• Béchamel Sauce : It is also known as white sauce. This sauce is made by mixing butter, milk and flour; its final thickness depends on the proportions of milk and flour. It is said that this sauce is an improvement of a similar sauce, known as velouté. In addition, this sauce is used as the base for other sauces, and it also serves for some meals from Italian cuisine, such as the lasagne. In the picture below you can see the aspect this sauce presents:

• Espagnole sauce: This sauce is the basis of sauce-making in classic French cooking. It has a strong taste and is rarely used directly in food. However, as it happens with Béchamel sauce, it serves for doing many other different sauces, such as Africane sauce or Bigarade sauce. The name the sauce has is very misleading, because it has nothing to do with Spanish cuisine. It only stands for the fact that French chefs use tomatoes, which are an ingredient related to Spain. In the picture below, you can see a recipient containing Espagnole sauce.

• Velouté sauce: this sauce is made by using a mixture consisting of chicken or fish thickened with butter and flour. The term velouté is from the French adjectival form of velour, meaning velvety. It has a number of derived sauces, such as Vin Blanc sauce or Venetian sauce.

• Hollandaise sauce: it is a mixture of egg yolk and butter, along with lemon juice. Generally, it is seasoned with salt and black pepper. It is called Hollandaise because, probably, it is based on a Dutch sauce, which was very similar. This sauce is often paired with vegeables such as asparagus. As it happens with the above French sauces, it is also the foundation for many derivatives, created by adding or changing some ingredients. Some instances are: Béarnaise sauce or Dijon sauce.

• Allemande sauce: this sauce is mainly based on velouté sauce. We could say that it is a derived sauce. Allemande sauce is thickened with egg yolks and heavy cream, and seasoned with lemon juice. It is best used with eggs, poultry or dishes including bread.

As you can see, French cuisine has sauces for everyone. It is a very rich cuisine. So, what are you waiting for? I encourage you to taste these wonderful sauces. And if you want to know a bit more about sauces, just wait, because I'll continue to talk about this topic very soon...