Sauce vierge facts for kids

Sauce vierge (pronounced "sohs vee-airj") is a fresh and light French sauce. Its name means "virgin sauce" in French. It's made with simple, healthy ingredients like olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, and fresh basil.

This sauce is known for its bright, fresh taste. It's a great way to add flavor to many dishes without being too heavy.

What's in Sauce Vierge?

The main ingredients are:

• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped basil

Sometimes, people add crushed coriander seed for extra flavor. You might also find other fresh herbs in it, like chervil, chives, or parsley.

To make the sauce, all the ingredients are mixed together. They are then left to sit in the oil. This lets the flavors from the herbs and tomatoes blend into the oil. Sometimes, a little heat is used to help the flavors mix even better.

What Do You Eat It With?

Sauce vierge is usually served with shellfish, like shrimp or scallops. It also tastes great with mild-flavored white fish, such as cod or sole.

Sometimes, you can even find it served over pasta for a light and tasty meal. It's a very flexible sauce that goes well with many different foods.

History of Sauce Vierge

This sauce became very popular in the 1980s. A famous French chef named Michel Guérard helped make it well-known. He was one of the people who started nouvelle cuisine, which focused on lighter, fresher dishes. He also created cuisine minceur, which was about healthy, low-calorie cooking.

Michel Guérard was from Eugénie-les-Bains in southwestern France. Thanks to him, Sauce vierge is now a modern classic in French cooking.

Originally, this sauce was inspired by Mediterranean cooking. It used to have a lot of garlic in it. It could be served either warm or cold after the herbs had mixed with the oil.

See also

• In Spanish: Salsa vierge para niños