Béchamel sauce ( or ; French: Béchamel [beʃaˈmɛl]), also known as white sauce, is made from a white roux (butter and flour) and milk.
Even though it first appeared in Italian cooking books (constituting one of the simplest sauces of the Italian cuisine), it is now considered one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is used as the base for other sauces (such as Mornay sauce, which is Béchamel with cheese).
Origin
Béchamel was a financier who held the honorary post of chief steward to King Louis XIV. The sauce first appeared in some Italian cooking books of the Renaissance, but was introduced under its familiar name in Le Cuisinier François, published in 1651 by François Pierre La Varenne (1615â€"1678), chef de cuisine to Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles. The foundation of French cuisine, the Cuisinier François ran through some thirty editions in seventy-five years.
The sauce originally was a veal velouté with a large amount of cream added.
See also
- List of sauces
References
External links
- History and legends of Béchamel sauce
- Free Culinary School Video Episode 11 An educational podcast episode that talks about the classical French technique used for making Sauce Béchamel and a few secondary sauces including Mornay, Basic Cream, Cheddar Cheese and Mustard Sauce.
- Â "Bechamel". New International Encyclopedia. 1905.Â
