France is famous for its sauces. The national cuisine of this country has hundreds of recipes, including béchamel sauce or “white sauce”. To this day, the controversy continues about who was the first to prepare the famous sauce, and which country has the right to be called the author of this dish. The history of the origin of sauces is always shrouded in secrets and rumors.
One of the versions, which belongs to the Italians, claims that the bechamel appeared on the banks of the Seine. A native of Florence, Catherine de Medici, who at the age of 14 became the bride of the French prince Heinrich de Valois, the future king of France, Henry II, came to France in 1533 with her chefs and craftsmen and cooks. It was at the wedding feast that Italian chefs presented their national dishes, including the famous sauce. And only then the French appropriated the recipe for themselves, renaming it in their own way.
Italian cuisine has long had its own white balsamella sauce, which is made from flour, butter and milk with the addition of parmesan, pepper and nutmeg.
Another version of the emergence of bechamel belongs to the French. They believe that the béchamel sauce was invented by the Marquis Louis de Béchamel, the kitchen manager of Louis XIV of France. One day, the Marquis, wanting to create a delicious addition to cod, changed the recipe of the French veloute sauce. The result is a new white béchamel sauce. Some historical sources quote the statement of Count d’Escar, who regretted that he had not managed to name at least some simple dish by his name, unlike Louis de Béchamel.
Another version says that the bechamel sauce was prepared by a contemporary of the Marquis of Bechamel Francois Pierre de la Varennes – the chef of King Louis XIV. He published the book “French Chef”, and is considered the creator of the gourmet national cuisine. It is believed that he was the first to use roux as a sauce thickener – flour fried in oil until golden brown. Before that, the cooks thickened the sauce with bread. The chef named his creation after Louis de Bechamel.
Another French version, according to which the béchamel sauce was first prepared by the Duke Philippe de Morne, Governor of Saumur and Lord Plessis Marley in 1600. He is also the author of recipes for Chasseur, Porto, Morne, Lyon sauce.
The main period when most French sauces were created is the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries. At the same time, béchamel sauce appeared. In the XNUMXth century, it begins to undergo changes – every professional French chef considered it necessary to make adjustments to the recipe, trying to improve it and transform the taste. So there were options with meat broths, wine, vegetables, bacon. In the XNUMXth century, during the leadership of the royal cuisine by the famous chef Marie-Antoine Karem, the bechamel recipe returned to its previous composition.
Since then, béchamel sauce has been considered the base sauce for other dips and variations. It is also included in multi-ingredient dishes. White sauce is made on the basis of roux – flour, which is fried until golden brown, in oil and boiled with milk. Butter and flour are taken in equal proportions, and the volume of milk is determined by the required consistency of the sauce. Further, the bechamel is enriched with spices and seasonings: thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, dill, onion, garlic, pepper, and so on. Bechamel goes well with meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, pasta and other products.