Course: WVA 104 Sauces, Condiments & Dressings

Reading

(3/3)
Sauces and the Tomato

In this section of the reading assignment, students are asked to review two extensive listings of sauces to gain insight into the multitude of sauces prepared by ingredient type and throughout the world. Sauces have unique and individual histories. Each sauce has an individual story about how it is made and its origin. The origin of sauces resulted from cooks trying to cover the flavors of spoiled foods, as refrigeration is a modern invention. Traditionally, sauces are liquid, semi-solid foods served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not consumed by themselves, but they are used to add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Possibly the oldest sauce recorded is garum, the fish sauce used by the Ancient Romans. Sauces are an essential element in cuisines all over the world.

Tomato sauces have an interesting history that can be traced through the travels of the tomato as it was introduced through trade, and exploration of new lands. Tomato sauces are thought to be Italian in origin however the migration of the tomato began in Mexico with the Mesoamerica Aztecs. Both the species and its use as a food originated in Mexico, and spread throughout the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects. Mesoamerica Aztecs. The exact date of domestication is unknown, but by 500 BC it was already being cultivated in southern Mexico and probably other areas. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés may have been the first to transfer the small yellow tomato to Europe after he captured the Aztec city of Tenochtítlan, now Mexico City. However Christopher Columbus, a Genoese working for the Spanish monarchy, may have taken them back as early as 1493. The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in an herbal written in 1544. The recorded history of tomatoes in Italy dates back to 1548 Tomatoes were grown mainly as ornamentals early on after their arrival in Italy. The tomato's ability to mutate and create new and different varieties helped contribute to its success and spread throughout Italy.  Please review these extensive listings of sauces to answer discussion question 2.

Click here to access the Wikipedia page on List of Sauces.

Click here to access the Wikipedia page on Tomato Sauce.