One of the French mother sauces, it is also known as a biratta cream. At its core, a Béchamel sauce is made from a roux and milk. The term originated from the last name of French financier Louis de Béchamel as he is thought of having perfected an older variation of the sauce into its modern form.

A lot of the rest of the history surrounding the sauce comes myths and legends. As such, I will stop here in that regard. Still, it’s worth a read.

Sauces derived from a Béchamel sauce include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mornay Sauce
• Soubise Sauce
• Cheddar cheese Sauce (like what you might use for mac and cheese)
• Nantua Sauce
• Sauce Crème (a basic cream sauce)