Tomato sauce (; ; ) can refer to many different made primarily from . In some countries the term refers to a sauce to be served as part of a dish; in others, it is a condiment.
Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high water content, soft flesh which breaks down easily, and the right composition to thicken into a sauce when stewed, without the need for thickeners such as roux or masa. All of these qualities make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces. Tomato sauce typically has a thinner consistency than tomato paste and tomato purée;[Barbara Ann Kipfer The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference 2012 - Page 561 "Tomato paste is concentrate of puréed tomatoes sold in cans or at double strength in tubes. ... The differences between tomato paste, tomato purée, and tomato sauce are texture and depth of flavor (the thicker the consistency, the deeper ..."] however, tomato sauces may use either as an ingredient.
In dishes tomato sauces are common for meat and such as in , but they are perhaps best known as bases for Italian pasta or pizza dishes, or in Mexican salsas.
In countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the term tomato sauce is used to describe a condiment similar to what Americans call ketchup. In some of these countries, both terms are used for the condiment.
History
Tomato sauces, along with similarly related and prepared
tomatillo sauces, are presumed to have been in use since antiquity by the peoples of
Central America and
South America as bases for many dishes. However, much of Pre-Columbian cuisine history in Mexico, along with other culturally significant information, had been purged during the periods of conquest by Europeans, chiefly the Spanish.
Bernardino de Sahagún, a
Franciscan friar from the Kingdom of Spain, is believed to be the first European to write about tomato sauce after encountering it for sale in the markets of
Tenochtitlan (today
Mexico City).
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The first Italian recipe of tomato sauce was published under the name "Spanish tomato sauce"
The first written recipe for canned tomatoes comes from Vaucluse, in southern France; it appears in a document written by an individual in 1795.
Raw tomato sauces
In Italy, there are many pasta sauces based on raw, uncooked tomatoes.
In France, raw tomato sauce is known as saoussoun in the Alpes-Maritimes. Sauce vierge is another French sauce made from raw tomato, basil, lemon juice and olive oil, created and popularized by chef Michel Guérard in 1976 as part of his nouvelle cuisine movement.
Varieties
Mexico
Tomato sauce was an ancient condiment in food. The first person to write about what may have been a tomato sauce was Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish Franciscan friar who later moved to New Spain, who made note of a prepared sauce that was offered for sale in the markets of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today). He wrote (translated from Spanish language),
Basic Mexican tomato sauce was traditionally prepared using a molcajete to puree the tomatoes. Food that is cooked in tomato sauce is known as entomatada. Tomato sauce is used as a base for spicy sauces and moles.
Italy
Tomato sauce in Italian cuisine is first mentioned in Antonio Latini's cookbook Lo scalco alla moderna (Naples, 1692).[Elizabeth David, Italian Food (1954, 1999), p. 319, and John Dickie, Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food, 2008, p. 162.] Latini was chef to the Spanish viceroy of Naples, and one of his tomato recipes is for sauce "in the Spanish style" (). The first known use of tomato sauce with pasta appears in the Italian cookbook L'Apicio moderno, by the Roman chef Francesco Leonardi, published in 1790.[
]
Tomato-garlic sauce is prepared using tomatoes as a main ingredient, and is used in various cuisines and dishes. In Italian cuisine, alla pizzaiola is tomato-garlic sauce, which is used on pizza, pasta and meats.
France
Sauce tomate is one of the five mother sauces of classical French cooking, as codified by Auguste Escoffier in the early 20th century. It consists of Salt pork, onions, bay leaves, thyme, tomato purée or fresh tomatoes, roux, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper.
Tomato sauce can also be served raw, in which case it is named saoussoun (grated raw tomato with onions, olive oil and herbs),
Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
Tomato sauce is a popular, commercially produced Condiment, similar to tomato ketchup, which is typically applied to foods such as meat pies, sausages, and fish and chips.
Tomato-based sauces served with pasta are commonly referred to as "pasta sauce",
United Kingdom
Collins English Dictionary lists the term as "another name for tomato ketchup" in British English.
Canada and United States
In Canada and the U.S., tomato sauce is typically sold jarred or canned, with minimal ingredients, and is not normally used as is. Related ingredients are tomato purée and tomato paste, each of which is similar but paste has a thicker consistency. Tomato purée and tomato paste have US FDA standards of identity (since 1939) for percentage of tomato solids, and historically did not contain seasonings other than salt; in recent decades variants with basil or other traditional Italian seasonings became common. Tomato sauce is non-standardized.
Tomato gravy
Tomato gravy is originally an Italian American term for a tomato sauce cooked with meat, "gravy" being an Americanized form of ragù.
India
Some Indian curries have a tomato-based sauce, notably many vegetarian-style dishes.
See also
External links
