A Short History of Sauce Making

Perhaps in no period in history have a nation’s eating habits changed so profoundly as during the last three decades. Until twenty or thirty years ago, it seemed that the history of sauce making and cooking was complete. Thirty years ago, if asked about the future of classical cooking, a French chef would likely have replied that all the classical dishes had been invented by the end of the nineteenth century and that there was no place for new combinations or techniques. In spite of this, the previous decades have seen the advent of nouvelle cuisine, with its increased experimentation and richer preparations; an increased familiarity with flavorful ingredients from around the globe; and most recently the simultaneous ascendance of two diametrically opposed movements—farm-to-table cooking and modernist cuisine. After a long period of established culinary canon, few would have predicted the sophistication and enthusiasm for cooking that exists today.