French cuisine has been regarded as the pinnacle of haute cuisine for quite a while now, but why? It is likely due to the five French mother sauces, and the impact they have had on cooking. If you are not into cooking, you may be unfamiliar with the term “mother sauces,” and that is okay. We are here to teach you all about the five French mother sauces and their impact on cooking.
What is a French mother sauce?
The term “mother sauce” came from Marie-Antoine Carême in the late 19th century in his book “L’Art de la Cuisine Française au Dix-Neuvième Siècle.” Carême originally listed Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, and Sauce Tomate as the mother sauces, but eventually added Hollandaise as well.
A mother sauce is essentially the foundational sauce for every other sauce used in French cooking. Think of it like a building block, regardless of what kind of French sauce you make, you will likely need to incorporate one of the five mother sauces.
What are the five French mother sauces?
1. Béchamel
Even if you don’t know the formal name, you have likely made béchamel before. It is made by cooking a liquid (usually milk) into a roux until you get a creamy, white sauce. These days, many add béchamel to chicken pot pie or macaroni and cheese. Béchamel does not have much of a flavor on its own, but the French mother sauce adds a lot of creaminess to whatever dish you add it to.
In classic cooking, béchamel was mainly used for fish, chicken, and eggs. However, the humble French mother sauce has been taken to new heights over time. Many enjoy adding extra flavorings like cheese, nutmeg, and even miso. One great thing about the neutral taste of béchamel is that it is one of the most flexible French mother sauces.
2. Velouté
Similar to béchamel, velouté is a French mother sauce all about adding texture to a dish. It is usually served with white meat or seafood dishes to add a gentle flavor and smooth texture. To make velouté, start off by making a roux, then add in a clear stock. Mostly chicken, turkey, fish, and vegetable stock are used in velouté.
Velouté has a delicate taste and is a great foundation for gravy and other sauces (i.e. mushroom sauce). If you are trying to elevate your day to day cooking, velouté could be a great French mother sauce to learn.
3. Espagnole
The delicious mother sauce Espagnole is a dark brown sauce that adds a rich and hearty flavor to whatever dish it is added to. It is usually added to meals that contain red meat, but you will likely know it from boeuf bourguignon. Espagnole also begins with a roux, but unlike the other French mother sauces, the roux is cooked until it is brown. Once the roux is browned, add in a mix of celery, carrots, onion, beef stock, and pureed tomato.
It definitely has more ingredients than the other sauces on this list, but also has one of the deepest and richest flavors out of all the French mother sauces. Sauce Espagnole can be enjoyed as is with your favorite red meat dish, but it can also be used as base for a delicious demi-glace or bordelaise sauce.
4. Sauce Tomate
Sauce tomate is just as it sounds, a tomato-based sauce. It is akin to the Italian tomato sauce, but has a few differences. A traditional French sauce tomate starts off with a roux, then adds in tomatoes, onions, and garlic. The roux makes it thicker than the typical Italian tomato sauce.
These days, many skip the roux and lean more towards cooking a tomato reduction for thickness. Whether or not you are a traditionalist, sauce tomate is one of the most-loved and easiest French mother sauces to cook. It can be used on anything from gnocchi to grilled meat to add a sweet and acidic taste.
5. Hollandaise
Last, but not least, Hollandaise sauce is one of the richest French mother sauces on this list. It was not originally recognized as a mother sauce, but was later added in the early 20th century. Although it has a simple taste, Hollandaise sauce is one of the most difficult sauces to make. It is basically an emulsion of egg yolks and melted butter, but the sauce breaks easily and the eggs tend to curdle (A.K.A. scrambled).
You may know Hollandaise from your brunch favorite, eggs benedict, but there are many other uses for the creamy, rich sauce. It is an essential building block for many other French sauces like Béarnaise, Dijon, or Maltaise sauce. Adding a simple pinch of cayenne pepper can add a lot of kick too without as much work!
Why Is It Important?
The French mother sauces are called “mother sauces,” for a reason. They are the base of most classic French sauces. Every classically trained chef starts their cooking journey with learning these five sauces. This is because the sauces only require a couple simple ingredients, but with great technique, they can add incredible depth to food.
Regardless of your cooking skills, these five French mother sauces are foundational for French cuisine. Knowing how to cook the mother sauces will give you the ability to cook any sauce, from a demi-glace to a Mornay sauce and everything in between. These sauces bring flavor, texture, and color to food, and can brighten up any basic dish. It is key to have these sauces in your back pocket when you want to make an incredibly delicious meal.
If you want to improve your cooking by using the five mother sauces, check out this piece from Food 52. They break down the steps of how to make each of the mother sauces, and give some amazing recipes.
Food and cooking are such wonderful ways to learn about a culture. The best part is you can do it from the comforts of your home while eating delicious food! You may not be looking into becoming a professional chef, but mastering the five French mother sauces can improve your cooking significantly.
It is a simple way to spice up any dish, and an awesome way to impress a loved one. Give these mother sauces a try, and see just how much your dishes will improve.
If you loved this post and want to learn more about French cuisine, give 12 delicious French foods that you have probably never heard of a read.
