Dating back to the 1700’s, the five French Mother sauces were classified by Antonin Carême and Auguste Escoffier, two legendary chefs whose influence on world cuisine is still present today.

From these five basic ‘mother’ sauces, literally thousands of derivatives can be made:

1. Bechamel
2. Veloute
3. Tomato
4. Hollandaise
5. Brown (demi-glace) or Espagnole

For ease of service, large batches of each sauce were made and then smaller portions were modified for each particular dish or purpose.