roux

[ roo ]

noun

1. a cooked mixture of butter or other fat and flour used to thicken sauces, soups, etc.

roux

/ ruː /

noun

1. a mixture of equal amounts of fat and flour, heated, blended, and used as a basis for sauces

Roux

/ ro̅o̅ /

1. French bacteriologist who assisted Louis Pasteur on most of his major discoveries. Later, working with Alexandre Yersin, he showed that the symptoms of diphtheria are caused by a lethal toxin produced by the diphtheria bacillus. Roux carried out early work on the rabies vaccine and directed the first tests of the diphtheria antitoxin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of roux¹

1805–15; < French ( beurre ) roux brown (butter) < Latin russus red-brown, red-haired, akin to ruber red ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of roux¹

C19: from French: brownish, from Latin russus russet

Example Sentences

Sprinkle flour into the pot and stir a few minutes to make a light roux.

From Salon

Doesn’t matter if it’s caramel, some sort of roux or queso, I’m always hunched over a hot pot stirring my wrist off, testing and adding until it tastes perfect.

From Seattle Times

West African gumbo tends to be made with way, way more okra and, instead of relying on a roux or mirepoix to impart flavor, it contains dried fish powder, shrimp powder and “heavy-duty spices.”

From Salon

There’s a flip side to that weighted gesture of acceptance, however, when an underling of Algerian descent adds spices to a roux that Marie calls “bland,” earning a reprimand.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather boringly brown in presentation, the gumbo gets velvety from a luxe roux, echoing smoke, faint heat and stages of flavor, with all the tastes and texture of the sausage incorporated through.

From Seattle Times