Enhance your dish's flavors by adding the right cheese!
A fruit sauce that complements non-white meats such as venison, ham, and lamb, this English delicacy is also tasty as a cold snack. Try it with soft ripened cheese garnished with basil leaves (pictured).
A traditional British and Irish condiment, brown sauce is a combination of tomatoes, molasses, dates, apples, tamarind, spices, and vinegar. It adds life to a full English breakfast, and works wonders in a bacon sandwich.
All the way from Peru, huancaína sauce is made with fresh white cheese, yellow pepper, and evaporated milk. Papa a la huancaína is a Peruvian appetizer of boiled potatoes smothered in this sauce and enjoyed across the country.
Alfredo sauce is the inventive result of mixing melted butter with Parmesan cheese. Rich and creamy, it coats fresh pasta to create fettuccine Alfredo—named after Italian chef Alfredo di Lelio (1882–1959), who invented the dish.
Sticky and tasty, this delightfully addictive sauce makes a great finishing touch to chicken thighs and chicken breasts. Besides honey and garlic, key ingredients include brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger.
Gravy is a sauce usually made from the juices of meats. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it's traditionally served with a Sunday roast—roasted meat, roast potato, and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, bread or mint sauce, and vegetables. It's also commonly enjoyed with Thanksgiving foods throughout the United States and Canada.
Fans of Thai food will be familiar with this colorful dressing. But it's no stranger to Western palates either. Try this fresh and and healthy sauce on fried chicken breast fillet. Serve with broccoli and rice. Yummy!
Also known as palm butter or palm cream, moambe hails from central Africa (countries like Gabon and Republic of the Congo). The meat typically used in dishes is chicken. In fact, poulet à la moambé ("moambe chicken") is the national dish of several African countries.
Essentially a mayonnaise, this classic egg-based French sauce can be tricked out with chopped pickled cucumbers, capers, parsley, chervil, and tarragon. It pairs perfectly with fish or vegetables.
You can whip this up in a few minutes using simple pantry staples. Tangy, creamy, and sweet, it's a perfect dip for fresh vegetables, makes an inspired sandwich spread, and is a delicious glaze or sauce for grilled or roast meats.
One of the great classic sauces in French cuisine, beurre blanc is made by simmering shallots in a mixture of white wine and vinegar until the pot is almost dry. Cream is then added to enrich the sauce. Try it with pike-perch fillet and leeks (pictured).
Don't even think of serving up buffalo wings without buffalo sauce. Hot peppers, salt, and vinegar is all you need. Whisk in some melted butter and start ringing the cow bell, 'cos you'll be hosting the best BBQ in town.
An Italian institution, pesto originates in Genoa and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmesan or Pecorino. Blend all this in extra virgin olive oil and you have one of the healthiest sauces in the kitchen.
In the German language, this translates as Frankfurter Grüne Soße, and it's famous across Europe as a creamy blend of fresh herbs, yogurt, and sour cream. Serve cold over hard-boiled eggs and boiled potatoes.
At its simplest, tartar sauce is a mix of mayonnaise and finely chopped capers. But you can supplement the mayo with crème fraîche or sour cream for a lighter, fresher flavor and texture. Add a dash of lemon juice and serve as a dip with fried fish, shrimp, calamari, onion rings, and even with potato chips!
Healthy and versatile, mushroom sauce is a friend to many dishes, not least when it's stirred through pasta or liberally applied across juicy grilled steak. Tip: to thicken the sauce, add cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca.
An onion sauce originating in Portugal, cebolada works especially well with fish. A combination of onion, tomato (optional), red pepper, and garlic, it's best topped off with parsley. Pictured is bife de atum de cebolada, a dish featuring tuna fish as the principal ingredient.
This ubiquitous Mediterranean sauce is made from olive oil that has been emulsified into mashed garlic (the name means "garlic and oil" in Catalan and Provençal). It's typically served as a dip for vegetable crudité, boiled eggs, and shellfish.
A popular condiment in Thai, Afghan, and Malaysian cuisine, sweet chili sauce is often used as a stir fry sauce or a dipping sauce. To lend it a truly authentic taste, add a little bit of Sambal ulek (Indonesian chili paste) to the mix.
Traditionally served with raw oysters, mignonette—made with minced shallots, cracked white pepper, and vinegar—is the perfect seafood partner.
Finding the perfect balance of tang, minty freshness, and sweetness is the trick to creating this lovely sauce, a key companion to roast lamb. Season with a drop of white wine vinegar.
Various types of peppercorn, such as black, green, or pink, can be used to create this rich and warming sauce. Add a dash of brandy or cognac to the cream reduction and turn steak into a work of art.
Complementing the cuisines of Southeast Europe and the Middle East, tzatziki is made from yogurt, cucumber, various herbs, olive oil, and garlic. It's hugely popular in Greece, where it's served as a dip or spread over warm bread.
Fesenjān itself is a delicious stew from Iran. But what gives the dish its distinctive flavor is due in part to the pomegranate paste and ground walnut sauce stirred into the mix.
See also: The health benefits of herbs and spices
Originating in the Samegrelo and Abkhazia regions of Georgia, this hot, spicy chili and herb sauce is inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia list, such is the high esteem in which the recipe is held.
Believe it or not, applesauce has been around since the 1700s, created in Europe and enjoyed by nobility and peasantry alike. Granny Smith, McIntosh, and Golden Delicious are favored apple varieties to make this delicious condiment.
Named for the county in England and more specifically the city of Worcester, where it was created in the 19th century, this dark, tangy, and salty condiment is used to enhance food and drink recipes. Bloody Mary, anyone?
You'll find this sauce on tables in Argentina and Uruguay, where it's used as a condiment for grilled meats. It's conjured up from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar.
Pungent and powerful, horseradish sauce elevates prime rib or beef tenderloin to new levels with its zesty punch and creamy texture.
Bold and robust, romesco sauce is typical of Spain's Catalonia region, where it's prepared using nyora peppers, almonds, hazelnuts, garlic, and tomato. It's usually served with fish and seafood, but can also enhance poultry.
Another one of the great condiments of French cuisine, this classic white sauce holds casseroles together, forms the base of soufflés, and can even be used to make an Italian lasagna, give or take a few extra ingredients.
A Genoa culinary tradition is to season pansotti (a kind of ravioli) with walnut sauce. Rich and creamy in texture and flavor, the sauce itself is easily prepared by processing chopped walnuts into a smooth paste and adding olive oil, onion, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon, and cloves.
This mouth-watering sesame seed paste is a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. It's used as an ingredient for making the iconic hummus dip, but works just as well as a popular sauce on meats and vegetables.
One of the five so-called mother sauces in French cuisine, this emulsion of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice partners eggs Benedict and is drizzled over many seafood and vegetable dishes.
At its most basic, peanut sauce is made with no other ingredient, except perhaps some added coconut milk. But experiment by using tamari (Japanese soybean sauce), maple syrup, Thai chili, and a dash of lime. Your Malaysian chicken sate will be taken to a whole new level.
One of the culinary world's long-standing combos, sweet and sour sauce is commonly used in Asian cooking. The original Cantonese sweet and sour sauce is made with vinegar, preserved plums, and hawthorn candy.
Easier to make than pronounce, this Korean recipe doubles up as a dish and a sauce. It's a popular noodle dish mixed in with black bean sauce, made of chunjang (a salty black soybean paste), diced pork, and vegetables.
Often confused with Bolognese sauce, ragu is another meat-based Italian sauce that is made with the addition of minced carrot, celery, and pancetta. And there's more wine in ragu! It's this sauce that enriches spaghetti dishes.
A simple standby that does what it says on the label, a tomato and basil sauce can enliven just about any dish, but is perhaps best known as a base for Mexican salsas or as sauce for pasta dishes.
Big in Turkish cuisine, this yogurt-based sauce is made with parsley, mint, olive oil, and, ironically, Greek yogurt. Essentially an appetizer, haydari is also great at keeping grilled fish company.
Also spelled as wasakaka, this is Venezuela's unique version of guacamole. The savory sauce is made from avocado, citrus juice or vinegar, parsley, garlic, and chili peppers.
A sharp, smokey Thai dipping sauce, Nam Jim Jaew's key ingredients are chili powder and toasted rice powder. Lime juice and herbs enhance the flavor. Ideal with any kind of grilled meat.
Italy's very own version of sweet and sour sauce, agrodolce is a sticky-sweet condiment that's often used with lamb and sausage.
A versatile cooking sauce, gochujang is hot and thick, which makes this South Korean delicacy a perfect addition to miso soup, or as a coating for grilled or fried vegetables.
Like its name, this South African relish rolls off the tongue to tantalize taste buds and work up an appetite. It's a required condiment at South African braais (otherwise known as barbecues).
A specialty from Chile, this spicy spread works with any savory dish, and is a barbecue favorite. Base ingredients are coriander, tomato, and habanero peppers, but the recipe varies from region to region.
Familiar to anyone with a taste for Indian food, green chutney sauce is usually served with savory dishes, or as an appetizer dip along with naan bread or popadums. It's made using coriander, mint, and spices.
Hailing from North Africa and traditionally used to flavor fish and seafood, chermoula—actually more marinade and relish than a sauce—is a condiment used frequently in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan, and Tunisian cooking. Principal ingredients include garlic, cumin, coriander, oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Ponzu shoyu is a Japanese citrus-based sauce that can be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings or sprinkled over your favorite Asian entrée. It also makes an inspired marinade. Tangy and soy-based, it goes well with shabu-shabu, sashimi, and grilled meats.
Lasagne would be a sad orphan without Bolognese sauce. Tagliatelle, too. A popular variation of ragu sauce, Bolognese is the classic Italian meat sauce, and dates all the way back to the 15th century.
Heat a saucepan of milk, butter, and a hint of black pepper under a low light until the mixture is melted. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese (mild, mature, or extra mature, according to taste). Whisk till smooth. How simple is that? Pour over French fries with crispy bacon and rosemary for a rich and creamy snack.
An essential condiment with Thanksgiving dinner across North America and festive feasts in the United Kingdom and Canada, cranberry sauce adds a dash of zest to a variety of meats, including ham, chicken, and turkey.
A Belgium specialty, sauce andalouse—mayonnaise, tomato paste, and peppers—typically pairs with fries for a great street food snack.
A supremely flavorful and nutrient-dense Georgian plum sauce, tkemali is used for fried or grilled meat, poultry, and potato dishes. Besides plum, the following ingredients are used: garlic, pennyroyal, coriander, dill, chili pepper, and salt.
Feeling saucy? Well, next time you're cooking, get turned on with these fantastically flavorsome sauces from around the world. These appetizing and tasty condiments are guaranteed to enrich your food, whatever you're preparing.
Hungry? Browse this gallery and discover the best sauces around. Click on!
The best-tasting sauces in the world
From classic to exotic
FOOD Dining
Feeling saucy? Well, next time you're cooking, get turned on with these fantastically flavorsome sauces from around the world. These appetizing and tasty condiments are guaranteed to enrich your food, whatever you're preparing.
Hungry? Browse this gallery and discover the best sauces around. Click on!