Sauce – a liquid, sometimes semi-solid food served with other foods or used for their preparation. They are essential elements in many Sauce Recipes in cuisine all around the world as they add flavor and moister to the meals. Some of them may be bought in the shop while others are cooked just before serving.

Antonin Carême classified sauces in the 19th century into four groups.

• Allemande (based on white stock thickened with egg yolk)
• Béchamel (based on milk thickened with roux)
• Espagnole (based on brown stock thickened with roux)
• Velouté ( based on a white stock thickened with roux)

Most common sauces used in cuisine are derivatives of one of the above listed grand sauces. These grand sauces are usually not served as-is, instead additional ingredients are added to make derivative sauces.