Tomato sauce

Lore & Background

Tomato sauces, along with tomatillo sauces, are presumed to have been in use since antiquity by the peoples of Central and South America. Much of Pre-Columbian cuisine history in Mexico was purged during European conquest, but Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish Franciscan friar, is believed to be the first European to write about tomato sauce after encountering it in Tenochtitlan markets. The first Italian recipe was published as 'Spanish tomato sauce' in Lo Scalco alla Moderna by Antonio Latini in 1692 and 1694. Tomato sauce also appeared in southern France at the same time, particularly in Provence and the Basque Country. The use of tomato sauce with pasta first appeared in 1790 in L'Apicio moderno by Francesco Leonardi. The first written recipe for canned tomatoes comes from Vaucluse, France, in a 1795 document.

Reader's Guide

Tomato sauce holds significance as a foundational element in multiple cuisines. In Mexico, it was an ancient condiment, with basic sauces traditionally prepared using a molcajete. In Italy, it is first mentioned in 1692 and became integral to pasta and pizza. In France, sauce tomate is one of the five mother sauces of classical cooking, codified by Auguste Escoffier. Raw tomato sauces include Italian sauces, Mexican pico de gallo, French saoussoun, and sauce vierge, created in 1976 by Michel Guérard. In Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, tomato sauce is a popular table sauce similar to ketchup but more sour. In the UK, it is another name for tomato ketchup. In Canada and the US, it is typically sold jarred or canned with minimal ingredients. Tomato gravy, an Italian American term for a sauce cooked with meat, was associated with Sunday dinner. In India, some curries have a tomato-based sauce. The sauce's adaptability and historical depth underscore its global culinary legacy.

Did You Know?

• Bernardino de Sahagún is believed to be the first European to write about tomato sauce after seeing it in Tenochtitlan markets.
• The first Italian recipe for tomato sauce was published as 'Spanish tomato sauce' in 1692 by Antonio Latini.
• Sauce vierge, created by Michel Guérard in 1976, resembles Mexican pico de gallo, which predates it by centuries.
• The first written recipe for canned tomatoes comes from Vaucluse, France, in a 1795 document.