Tartar sauce

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Chicken with tartar sauce

Tartar sauce or tartare sauce is a thick white sauce made from mayonnaise and finely chopped pickled cucumber, capers, onions (or chives), and fresh parsley. Chopped hard-boiled eggs, olives, and horseradish are sometimes added, and dijon mustard is often used as an emulsifier if the mayonnaise is made from scratch. It is frequently used to season fried seafood dishes. It can also be made by mixing commercially produced relish and mayonnaise. Vinegar can be added for a sharper flavor. The sauce is typically of a rough consistency.

Tartar sauce is not to be confused with Cream of tartar, which is the potassium salt of tartaric acid.

The name derives from the Tatars, a Turkic people who live primarily in Russia. The sauce was not, however, invented by the Tatars but the French, who served it as a condiment for Steak tartare, a meat dish made from similar ingredients.

[edit] Trivia

Tartar sauce is commonly spelled 'Tartare' in many European countries as well as Australia and New Zealand. This is based on the original French term sauce tartare as the word "tartare" is always spelled with an "e" whether it is masculine or feminine.
"Tartar sauce!" is also used as an exclamation by SpongeBob and Patrick Star in the cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants, usually when something untoward has happened or is about to happen, as a local "swear" word.
Tartar sauce is very popular in Seattle, Washington, so much so that it is often the choice topping for french fries. Local restaurant Dick's Drive-In even puts it on its flagship burger, the Deluxe. Many regional restaurants also use a condiment called "goop" which consists of tartar sauce mixed with mustard.
In the movie Hot Shots!: Part Deux, one of the fun facts during the end credits proclaims that "... actor Richard Crenna invented tartar sauce."
In The Simpsons episode "Simpson and Delilah," Homer complains to Mr. Burns about receiving too little tartar sauce on fishstick day.

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