Espagnole

espagnole the name given in classical French cuisine to the ‘mother sauce’ from which are derived many of the sauces described under brown sauces. The name has nothing to do with Spain, any more than the counterpart term allemande (see velouté) has anything to do with Germany. It is generally believed that the terms were chosen because in French eyes Germans are blond and Spaniards are brown, though Dallas (1877) sensibly suggests it was because it relied greatly on ham for its initial stock (a reliance since abandoned in favour of beef or veal).