Comeback sauce

Last updated
Comeback sauce Comeback sauce.jpg
Comeback sauce

Comeback sauce is a dipping sauce used for fried foods or as a salad dressing in the cuisine of central Mississippi. Its main ingredients are mayonnaise and ketchup or chili sauce. It was created at the Jackson, Mississippi, restaurant The Rotisserie. It is generally known throughout the southern US.

Contents

Description

The sauce is orange-to-pink and typically a thick liquid. [1] It is spicier than ranch dressing and is creamier and less sweet than barbecue sauce. [2] [3] The Takeout described it as "a spicier type of Thousand Island salad dressing". [4] Southern Living described it as "creamy, tangy, sweet, savory, and mildly spicy". [2]

Ingredients and preparation

Ingredients for comeback sauce Ingredients for comeback sauce.jpg
Ingredients for comeback sauce

According to the New York Times, the essential ingredients are garlic and mayonnaise. [1]

Similar to Louisiana remoulade, the base of the sauce consists of mayonnaise and chili sauce and/or ketchup. [2] [5] Many recipes also call for the addition of other ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, onion, lemon juice, and seasonings. [6] [2] [5]

Modern recipes typically call for ingredients to be assembled in a blender or food processor and processed until well-combined. [3]

Serving

The sauce was originally served as a dressing on iceberg lettuce or as a topping for saltines but eventually saw usage as a drizzle on crab cakes or tacos, a sauce for sandwiches, and a dipping sauce for crudites or fried foods. [1] [2] [5] In some restaurants it is served alongside a basket of crackers. [3]

History and importance

The sauce began to appear in Greek restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi from the late 1920s. [7] As of the 1970s and 1980s it was still most commonly found in Jackson's Greek restaurants. [7] It spread from Jackson into other parts of Mississippi and then throughout the south; it is not well known outside of the southern US. [3] [4]

Its invention has been credited to one of two restaurants, either the Mayflower Cafe or The Rotisserie, [1] [3] but in a 2016 interview with the Clarion-Ledger, Mayflower owner Jerry Kountouris said "It was The Rotisserie". [8] [7]

In 2014 it was the subject of a lecture at the Southern Foodways Alliance symposium. [3]

Food historian Robert St. John called it "the Queen Mother of all Mississippi condiments". [3] [5] The Washington Post called it a "Southern staple". [9]

Commercial versions

Several restaurants in Jackson offer bottled comeback sauce. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauce</span> Liquid, cream, or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods

In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. Sauce is a French word probably from the post-classical Latin salsa, derived from the classical salsus 'salted'. Possibly the oldest recorded European sauce is garum, the fish sauce used by the Ancient Romans, while doubanjiang, the Chinese soy bean paste is mentioned in Rites of Zhou 20

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Belgium

Belgian cuisine is widely varied among regions, while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is sometimes said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of German cuisine but with the quality of French food. Outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries and beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fry sauce</span> Condiment for French fries

Fry sauce is a condiment often served with French fries or tostones in many places in the world. It is usually a combination of one part tomato ketchup and two parts mayonnaise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian dressing</span> American salad dressing

Russian dressing is a piquant American salad dressing consisting of mayonnaise, ketchup, and other ingredients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fried rice</span> Asian rice dish

Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. Fried rice is a popular component of East Asian, Southeast Asian and certain South Asian cuisines, as well as a staple national dish of Indonesia. As a homemade dish, fried rice is typically made with ingredients left over from other dishes, leading to countless variations. Fried rice first developed during the Sui dynasty in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese fries</span> Fast-food dish of fries and cheese

Cheese fries or cheesy chips is a dish consisting of French fries covered in cheese, with the possible addition of various other toppings. Cheese fries are generally served as a lunch or dinner dish. They can be found in fast-food locations, diners, and grills mainly in English speaking countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remoulade</span> Mayonnaise-based cold sauce

Rémoulade is a cold sauce. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish, sometimes flavored with curry, and often contains chopped pickles or piccalilli. It can also contain horseradish, paprika, anchovies, capers and a host of other items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis dressing</span> Salad dressing

Louis dressing is a salad dressing based on mayonnaise, to which red chili sauce, minced green onions, and minced green chili peppers have been added. It is commonly used as a dressing for salads featuring seafood, such as a crab or shrimp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dipping sauce</span> Type of sauce

A dip or dip sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of jus. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically placed or dipped into the sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut sauce</span> Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts

Peanut sauce, satay sauce, bumbu kacang, sambal kacang, or pecel is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot dog variations</span> Ways to serve the "hot dog" style of sausage from around the world

Different areas of the world have local variations on the hot dog, in the type of meat used, the condiments added, and its means of preparation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab Louie</span> Type of salad

Crab Louie salad, also known as Crab Louis salad or the King of Salads, is a type of salad featuring crab meat. The recipe dates back to the early 1900s and originates on the West Coast of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salsa golf</span> Cold sauce of mayonnaise and tomatoes

Salsa golf is a cold sauce of somewhat thick consistency, common in Argentina. It is made from mayonnaise with a smaller amount of tomato-based sauce such as ketchup, as well as seasonings including pimento, oregano, and cumin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Rose sauce</span> British condiment

Marie Rose sauce is a British condiment often made from a blend of tomatoes, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and black pepper. A simpler version can be made by merely mixing tomato ketchup with mayonnaise. The sauce was popularised in the 1960s by Fanny Cradock, a British cook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand Island dressing</span> North American salad dressing and condiment

Thousand Island dressing is an American salad dressing and condiment based on mayonnaise and usually ketchup or tomato purée and chopped pickles; it can also include lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, olive oil, and hot sauce. It also typically contains finely chopped ingredients, which can include onions, bell peppers, green olives, hard-boiled egg, parsley, pimento, chives, garlic, or chopped nuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai salads</span> Thai cuisine

Salads that are internationally known as Thai salads with a few exceptions fall into four main preparation methods. In Thai cuisine these are called yam, tam, lap and phla. A few other dishes can also be regarded as being a salad.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Fentress, Ellen Ann (2014-01-07). "Revival for a Sauce That Never Left". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Comeback Sauce". Southern Living . Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Marquez, Susan (2022-07-14). "Comeback Sauce: A Southern Staple". EatDrinkMississippi . Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  4. 1 2 Lee, Dennis (2022-06-10). "How Comeback Sauce Keeps You Comin' Back". The Takeout . Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mckee, Amberly (2023-09-14). "Comeback Sauce Is The Southern Staple You'll Slather On Everything". Mashed . Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  6. "Comeback Sauce Recipe". NYT Cooking. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. 1 2 3 Harris, Bracey. "Comeback sauce: Mississippi's house dressing". The Clarion-Ledger . Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  8. Kimbrough, Kara (2023-06-14). "Iconic Restaurants Come and Go, But Comeback Sauce Has Endured 100 Years". Picayune Item . Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  9. Krystal, Becky (2 September 2020). "Fried Green Tomatoes With Comeback Sauce". The Washington Post .