This document discusses mother sauces in French cuisine. It defines what a sauce is and lists common thickening agents like roux. The 5 mother sauces are described as bechamel (white sauce made with milk and white roux), veloute (made with stock and blond roux), espagnole (brown sauce made with brown stock and roux), tomato sauce, and hollandaise (emulsified egg yolk and butter sauce). Derivatives of each mother sauce are provided that expand their uses.