Europe and the mediterranean

The sauces of this region encompass a wide variety of styles and flavourings, but they all share a sense of appropriateness to the climate and country to which they belong. The light, fragrant avgolémono of Greece, made with egg and lemon, is perfectly refreshing on a hot day; the robust, warming horseradish creams of Germany, served with smoked fish and meats, are ideally suited to a cold climate; while the fiery piri piri of Portugal and romescu of Spain are designed to cool you down in sweltering temperatures. In Italy you can even track the changes in climate and agriculture from north to south by the style of its regional sauces - from robust meat ragus or cream sauces in the cooler, dairy-loving north all the way down to the tomato- and olive-oil-based sauces of the arid south. The UK has perhaps the feast clearly defined culinary profile of any European country, yet its sauces have a character all of their own: well-loved favourites such as bread sauce with poultry and mint sauce with lamb date back to medieval times and are a vital part of the culinary landscape.