The five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. Developed in the 19th century by French chef Auguste Escoffier, mother sauces serve as a starting point for a variety of delicious sauces used to complement countless dishes, including veggies, fish, meat, casseroles, and pastas. Escoffier originally designated 4 primary mother sauces, along with mayonnaise as a cold mother sauce and Hollandaise as a “daughter” sauce. When his book was translated into English, mayonnaise was left out and Hollandaise was listed as a mother sauce.

Source: Health Line