The rice-eating populations of the borders
of the Pacific Ocean, and of many of its islands, have as the
most elementary spice, millions of other human beings as
their only spice, a pinch of pepper.
With the complete appreciation of essence of meat, sauces
assumed a new and much more important position. They
lost again a portion of that importance by the competition
of soup. But the French people correctly held fast to the
tradition concerning sauces, preserved and augmented their
number, and improved their quality.
The English sauce called melted butter is equal to
bechamel or allemande whenever well made. It lends itself
to a great variety of derivatives by additions, and thus
forms characteristic fish sauces or savoury sauces with
15
226
THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY
ragouts. The English table has sauces such as no other
kitchen produces; indeed, the (jravies of roast beef and
mutton are equal to a hecatomb of sauces. It has egg
sauce for vegetables, bread sauce for game, and a most
pleasing variety of fruit sauces, such as of apples, goose-
berries, currant- jelly, and others, and it has three exquisitely
British sauces — mint sauce, the complement of roast lamb ;
caper sauce, the complement of boiled mutton ; and onion
sauce, the complement of roast shoulder of mutton. The
specificity of several of the sauces of the English kitchen is
well indicated by a series of proverbs and anecdotes, which
are for the most part so well known that they do not require
repetition.
The subject of the appropriateness of sauces to certain
kinds of meat just touched upon admits of much dietetic and
esthetic consideration, which may be continued in other
places. Magirics have said truly that sauces accomplish a
variety of objects ; their proper application reveals the man
of taste, and their practical production is a constant oppor-
tunity for the exhibition of the minor qualities, such as
dexterity, of a good cook.
Sauces may be intended to act upon taste by homogeneity
or by contrast. In the former case they must be made to
conform to or to iterate the taste of the meat with which
they are to be eaten. An attentive reader of a good cookery-
book will find this carried out in many recipes. Thus, fish
sauce may be improved by the addition of meat bouillon, or
even fish bouillon if made from the muscular tissue of fish,
and not from mere bones and gristle parings. Sauces of
milk, cream, eggs, and butter, go well with preparations of
flour, such as puddings and cakes ; but purdes and sauces of
acidulous fruit and jellies eaten with such pastry act by
contrast, and sharpen the desire.
Sauces, then, are of various kinds ; some are bland,
expressed to the eye by light colour, lohite sauces, with
MADE SAUCES
227
velouU as base and type. In the production of these the
essence of meat must not be too strong in itself, and the
flavour of herbs must be kept subdued. The pronounced-
tasting hroivn sauces , or esjoagnoles, may contain the maximum
of herbaceous flavour, and a fair amount of spices. Piquant
sauces are yet stronger appellants to the tongue and palate ;
in them the savoury taste of broth falls to the background,
and spices, aromatic herbs, and organic acids assume the
ascendant.
Page 149
Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The rice-eating populations of the borders of the Pacific Ocean, and of many of its islands, have as the most elementary spice, millions of other human beings as their only spice, a pinch of pepper.
With the complete appreciation of essence of meat, sauces assumed a new and much more important position. They lost again a portion of that importance by the competition of soup. But the French people correctly held fast to the tradition concerning sauces, preserved and augmented their number, and improved their quality.
The English sauce called melted butter is equal to bechamel or allemande whenever well made. It lends itself to a great variety of derivatives by additions, and thus forms characteristic fish sauces or savoury sauces with
ragouts. The English table has sauces such as no other kitchen produces; indeed, the gravies of roast beef and mutton are equal to a hecatomb of sauces. It has egg sauce for vegetables, bread sauce for game, and a most pleasing variety of fruit sauces, such as of apples, gooseberries, currant- jelly, and others, and it has three exquisitely British sauces — mint sauce, the complement of roast lamb ; caper sauce, the complement of boiled mutton ; and onion sauce, the complement of roast shoulder of mutton. The specificity of several of the sauces of the English kitchen is well indicated by a series of proverbs and anecdotes, which are for the most part so well known that they do not require repetition.
The subject of the appropriateness of sauces to certain kinds of meat just touched upon admits of much dietetic and esthetic consideration, which may be continued in other places. Magirics have said truly that sauces accomplish a variety of objects ; their proper application reveals the man of taste, and their practical production is a constant opportunity for the exhibition of the minor qualities, such as dexterity, of a good cook.
Sauces may be intended to act upon taste by homogeneity or by contrast. In the former case they must be made to conform to or to reiterate the taste of the meat with which they are to be eaten. An attentive reader of a good cookerybook will find this carried out in many recipes. Thus, fish sauce may be improved by the addition of meat bouillon, or even fish bouillon if made from the muscular tissue of fish, and not from mere bones and gristle parings. Sauces of milk, cream, eggs, and butter, go well with preparations of flour, such as puddings and cakes ; but purdes and sauces of acidulous fruit and jellies eaten with such pastry act by contrast, and sharpen the desire.
Sauces, then, are of various kinds ; some are bland, expressed to the eye by light colour, white sauces, with
MADE SAUCES
velouU as base and type. In the production of these the essence of meat must not be too strong in itself, and the flavour of herbs must be kept subdued. The pronouncedtasting hroivn sauces , or esjoagnoles, may contain the maximum of herbaceous flavour, and a fair amount of spices. Piquant sauces are yet stronger appellants to the tongue and palate ; in them the savoury taste of broth falls to the background, and spices, aromatic herbs, and organic acids assume the ascendant.