Can you imagine how dry and boring our burgers and salads are without a good sauce to go with it? Sauces have more than one purpose in a dish. While they can add complimentary and contrasting flavours to a dish, they may also introduce textural and visual appeal.If done well, they can enhance the taste of the dish, creating a fusion that will make our mouths water. Be it sweet, savoury, hot or cold, a sauce is never a bad idea.
You can find a variety of sauces across the world. Each culture has its own unique types of sauces and sauce names that complement their respective cuisine. Maybe that is the reason why the elements in a sauce depend on its place of origin. The types of sauces in India are mostly curry-based and are high in spices.
Now dip, marinate or just add some extra kick to your food with these different types of sauces around the world. Here’s your go-to guide to those essential sauce recipes that will help you to reinvent your sides, salads and entrées.
1. Barbecue sauce
The sauce is a beautiful mix of tangy, smoky, and sweet flavour. Originally developed in America, barbecue sauce has become more of a cultural symbol now, with different countries sporting their own versions of barbecue sauces. Clearly, it is one of those topics that people can really become passionate about. Although the ingredients may vary according to the region, most include vinegar, tomato pasta and mayonnaise as base along with liquid smoke, onion powder, some spices including mustard and black pepper and sweetener such as sugar or molasses.
2. Garlic sauce
Serve it with a nice crisp salad or slather it on steaks and chips, garlic sauce is one of those famous sauces that would make any meal wonderful. The sauce is a popular condiment in the Middle Eastern restaurants and is made with mainly four ingredients- garlic, oil, lemon and salt. Traditional garlic sauce contains egg whites, but you can convert it into eggless as well. Its smooth, creamy texture and bold flavours are utterly heavenly. Apart from its great taste, the sauce is also good for health as garlic helps in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C.
3. Chimichurri
What Messi is to football, chimichurri is to Barbecue for all the Argentines. Chimichurri is a loose oil-based condiment that is usually served with barbecued meats. It’s said that the Argentines love their barbecue so much to the point they created a sauce to accompany it. It's made with oregano vinegar, lots of parsley and adds a very lovely fresh flavour to the dishes. As it’s an uncooked sauce, they can be used as an ingredient in cooking as well.
4. Marinara sauce
Marinara sauce is a tomato-based sauce that is usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, onions and olive oil. It not only delivers the taste and juice of fresh tomato, but also a velvety texture and rich bite of olive oil. This sauce is widely used in Italian-American cuisine. Take spaghetti, for example. It would be such a bland mess of noodles without a zesty Marinara sauce to go with it.
5. Tomato and basil sauce
This rustic sauce that can be used on pizza base, pastas or even on some gourmet dishes goes straight to the list of sauces that are bold on tomato flavour. It is prepared by blending tomato and basil together. It is similar to marinara sauce but the key difference between marinara sauce and tomato basil sauce is that the latter is thicker, richer and more complex.
6. Garlicky tahini sauce
The Middle East is known for having different sauces that are rich in garlic! Garlicky Tahini sauce is yet another Middle Eastern sauce that is tangy, nutty and creamy with a silky-smooth texture. This sesame-based sauce is one of the best sauces that will be a perfect accompaniment for any type of cuisine.
7. Walnut sauce
Walnut sauce is a lesser-known Italian pasta sauce that is surprisingly creamy and flavourful given the humble ingredients. Add it to dry, fresh or filled pasta for relatively easy weeknight meal. You’ll, for sure, get plenty of flavour and nutrients from the walnuts. So, what’s not to love here?
8. White sauce
White sauce, also known as Béchamel sauce, is one of France’s four mother sauces that can act as a base sauce to almost all types of sauces. Traditionally made from a white roux and milk, the sauce can be a perfect complement to many dishes.
9. Bolognese Sauce
Created in Bologna, Italy, Bolognese sauce got its name from its place of origin. It is a meat-based sauce made using ground meat such as beef and pork with tomatoes simmered in. Although traditionally layered over a flat pasta noodle, the sauce is tempting enough to eat it straight from a spoon!
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