V. To cover or mix a food with a sauce. sauce n. In the most basic terms, a sauce is a thickened, flavored liquid designed to accompany food in order to enhance and bring out its flavor. In the days before refrigeration, however, sauces were more often used to smother the taste of foods that had begun to go bad. The French are credited with refining the sophisticated art of sauce-making. It was the 19th-century French chef Antonin Carême who evolved an intricate methodology by which hundreds of sauces were classified under one of five "mother sauces. " Those are: espagnole (brown stock-based), velouté (light stock-based), Béchamel (basic white sauce), hollandaise and mayonnaise (emulsified sauces) and vinaigrette (oil-and-vinegar combinations). See also adobo sauce; albert sauce; alfredo sauce; allemande sauce; aurore sauce; bagna cauda; barbecue sauce; bernaise sauce; bercy sauce; beurre blanc; bigarade sauce; bolognese; bordelaise sauce; bread sauce; brown sauce; chasseur sauce; chili sauce; chimichurri; choron sauce; cocktail sauce; colbert sauce; coulis; cream sauce; crème anglaise; cumberland sauce; demi-glace; diable sauce; diplomat sauce; figaro sauce; garum; genevoise sauce; hard sauce; harissa sauce; hoisin sauce; hummus; kecap manis; ketchup; louis sauce; lyonnaise sauce; maltaise sauce; marchands de vin; marguery sauce; marinara sauce; melba sauce; mole; mornay sauce; mousseline; nam pla; nantua sauce; newburg sauce; normande sauce; nuoc cham; oyster sauce; parisienne sauce; perigueux sauce; pesto; piquante sauce; pistou; plum sauce; ponzu sauce; puttanesca sauce; ragu; ranchero sauce; Rémoulade; romesco; rouille; shrimp sauce; skordalia; sofrito; soubise; soy sauce; supreme sauce; tabasco; tamari; tartar sauce; tentsuyu; tomato sauce; tonnato sauce; verte sauce; worcestershire sauce.