The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
sauce
seasoning or flavoring composition, usually in liquid or semiliquid form, used as an appetizing accompaniment for meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts. Sauces, an important feature of quality cookery, especially in France, have often been named for the chefs who created them. Sauces may be classed as hot and cold; and divided again, the hot as white and brown, the cold as the mayonnaise type and the type used for coating cold foods and often containing gelatin. Hot sauces, made with a base of flour, fat, and milk or stock, may be varied by seasonings and added ingredients. Stewed fruits, such as apple and cranberry, are sometimes classified as sauces. Commercial sauces, which are finely blended extracts of various fruits and vegetables with vinegar and condiments, include Worcestershire sauce, Leicester sauce, chili sauce, creole sauce, soy sauce, Tabasco, and catsup. Sauces for puddings and desserts include syrup, custard, fruit, and creamed sauces (hard sauce and wine and brandy sauce).
