French dressing is one of the four mother sauces. In the nineteenth century Marie-Antoine Carême wrote the recipe in his cooking notes. Marie-Antoine Carême was one of the first chefs to develop organized basic instructions for making different sauces. Later, French names were applied to each of Tomat, Béchamel, Velouté and Espagnole sauces.
In the twentieth century, the recipe for this sauce was changed again by adding new elements, such as mayonnaise. Pepper, paprika, chopped onions, vinegar, ketchup or mayonnaise are the variable components in this sauce. French sauce, unlike the other sauces in its family, has a spicy taste and it is often used for salad rather than sandwiches.
