What does roux mean?
Roux is a culinary noun for a paste made by cooking flour in fat until the mixture is smooth. It serves as a thickening base: the cooked paste is combined with liquid to make sauces, soups, gravies, and stews less runny. Its degree of cooking affects flavor and color, from a pale white roux to a deeply browned, nutty dark roux. The word is especially associated with Louisiana Creole cooking and is common in North American English, though English speakers elsewhere also use it. The name comes from French, where roux means “red” or “russet” and ultimately traces through Old French to Latin russus, a word for a red color. Knowing roux is useful because it names not a finished sauce but a fundamental cooking technique that changes a dish’s texture and, in darker preparations, adds toasted flavor. It also illustrates how specialized culinary vocabulary often moves from regional cooking into general English.
nounA mixture of flour and fat, cooked together until smooth and used to thicken sauces, soups, gravies, and stews. It is also the foundation from which many such dishes are prepared.
- A cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces, soups, gravies, and stews, or to form the base from which they are prepared.
"She made a roux and gradually whisked in the stock to create a smooth sauce."
"The chef made a roux with butter and flour before adding the seafood stock."
"A dark roux gave the gumbo its deep color and rich, toasted flavor."
The noun is normally unchanged in the plural, especially in culinary contexts.
"The cook prepared two batches of roux for the sauce."
Roux comes from French for “red,” a name associated with its browned appearance and its roots in Louisiana Creole cooking.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does roux come from?
English culinary roux was borrowed from French roux, literally “red” or “russet,” and became established in Louisiana Creole cooking. French roux continues Old French rous, from Latin russus “red, ruddy,” ultimately associated with the Indo-European root for “red.” The same root underlies words such as russet, rubicund, and rubella, while rouille is a related French culinary derivative.
How roux is actually used
This is primarily a culinary term, especially common in Louisiana Creole and broader North American cooking. It is understood in British English and elsewhere but is less frequent. Roux names the cooked flour-and-fat mixture rather than the finished sauce.
Easily confused with roux
Rouille is a Provençal-style paste typically made with garlic, chilies, and oil, whereas roux is a cooked flour-and-fat mixture used to thicken sauces and other liquid dishes.