Velouté is a classic French sauce made from a light stock, such as chicken, fish, or vegetable, thickened with a roux. The roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat, typically butter, cooked together to create a smooth base. Velouté serves as a foundation for many other sauces and dishes in French cuisine. This sauce is one of the five mother sauces in classical French cooking, alongside béchamel, espagnole, tomato, and hollandaise. Velouté can be enriched with cream or flavored with various ingredients, making it versatile for soups, gravies, and sauces in a variety of recipes.