Béchamel

béchamel the name of a sauce which plays a large part in European cuisines; not only in France, although that is where the name originated.

The question of its origins has been discussed by Sokolov (1976):

Gastronomic literature is filled with tedious pages and trifling disputes. Béchamel has inspired more than its fair share of this piffle. People will argue about whether the correct spelling should not be béchamelle; whether the Italian version, balsamella from the Romagna district, is the original of the best-known and easiest mother sauce.

In such matters prejudice will always rule, for there is no evidence one way or the other. We can only point to the appearance of sauce called béchamel during the reign of Louis XIV. And, as so often, this original sauce bore only a slight resemblance to the modern sauce. While we think of béchamel as an all-purpose white sauce made of scalded milk, roux, and flavorings, Carême made it by enriching velouté with cream.