A mixture of diced vegetables, herbs (and sometimes a fatty meat) that is used as a foundation for the preparation of some soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, and more. This mixture is cooked slowly in a fat of some kind so as to develop and enhance the flavor of the mixture. There are quite a few variations of the mirepoix.

The term itself is French in origin. It likely originated from the chef who invented the French variation (carrots, celery, and onions) naming it after his patron, Duke Gaston-Pierre-Charles de Levis, the Duke of Mirepoix (if you didn’t know, Mirepoix also refers to a town (technically a commune in the administrative sense) in France, located in the southwestern region of the country). While the practice might seem unusual with reference to modern sensibilities, it was fairly common to name discoveries and or creative works after one’s patron. An instance of this happening in math is how we ended up with L’Hôpital’s rule (although it would be more accurate to say that he was allowed to take credit for it).

As I said before, there are quite a few other variations of mirepoix. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Cajun Holy Trinity
• Suppengrün
• Sofrito
• Soffritto (also known as Battuto)

I do acknowledge that using this specific term is a bit of a misnomer since I am using a term to describe both the generic form of the mixture while also using it to describe a specific variation of said. However, the goal of the page is utility, prioritizing the use of terms with reference to popular usage as they relate to American culture since that is the lens I am operating from. As such, the page has been titled mirepoix.