For the table sauce referred to in some countries cajun sauce ingredients tomato sauce, see Ketchup. For the pasta sauce mainly used in Italian cuisine, see Neapolitan sauce.
In countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the term tomato sauce is used to describe a condiment similar to what Americans call tomato ketchup. In some of these countries, both terms are used for the condiment. The first European person to write about, what may have been, tomato sauce was Bernardino de Sahagún, a Franciscan friar from the Kingdom of Spain. This section does not cite any sources. A tomato-based sauce containing tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and unseeded red, yellow, and green bell peppers. A simple European-style tomato sauce consists of chopped tomatoes sautéed in olive oil and simmered until they lose their raw flavor, seasoned to taste with salt, or other herbs or spices.
Depending on how it is cooked, tomato sauce may be thinner than the tomato purée or tomato paste it may be made from. It may serve as an ingredient in other dishes, like spaghetti and meatballs or tomato soup. Water or a more flavorful liquid such as stock or wine is sometimes added to keep the sauce from becoming too thick while simmering. Chile relleno covered in tomato sauce served at a traditional fonda restaurant. Tomato sauce was an ancient condiment in Mesoamerican food. Spaniards later brought the use of tomatoes to Europe. Food that is cooked in tomato sauce is known as entomatada.
