Roux

Roux(/ruː/) is a mixture offlourandfatcooked together and used to thickensauces.Roux is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight.The flour is added to the melted fat oroilon the stove top, blended until smooth, and cooked to the desired level ofbrownness. A roux can be white, blond (darker), or brown.Butter,bacondrippings, orlardare commonly used fats. Roux is used as athickening agentforgravy,sauces,soups, andstews. It provides the base for a dish, and other ingredients are added after the roux is complete.
The fat is most oftenbutterinFrench cuisine, but may belardorvegetable oilin other cuisines. Roux is used in three of the fivemother saucesofclassic French cooking:béchamel sauce,velouté sauce, andespagnole sauce.
Roux may be made with anyedible fat. For meat gravies, fat rendered from meat is often used. In regionalAmerican cuisine,baconis sometimes rendered to produce fat to use in the roux. Ifclarified butteris not available, vegetable oil is often used when producing dark roux, since it does not burn at high temperatures, as whole butter would.
Instead of butter, inCajun cuisineroux is made with lard, oil, or drippings from meat, poultry, or bacon. It is often cooked to a medium or dark brown color, which lends considerable richness of flavor while making it thinner.
Central European cuisineoften usesrenderedlard or, more recently, vegetable oil instead of butter for the preparation of roux.
Japanese currykarē(カレー)is made from a roux made by fryingyellow currypowder and flour together with butter or oil; this is calledkarērū(カレールー, curry roux).
Roux (meyane) has been used inOttomanandTurkishcuisine since at least the 15th century.
The fat is heated in a pot or pan, melting it if necessary. Then the flour is added. The mixture is heated and stirred until the flour is incorporated, and then cooked until at least the point where a raw flour taste is no longer apparent and the desired colour has been reached. The final colour can range from nearly white to nearly black, depending on the length of time it is  heated and its intended use. The result is a thickening and flavoring agent.
Light (or "white") roux provides little flavor other than a characteristic richness to a dish, and is used in French cooking and somegraviesorpastriesthroughout the world.
Darker roux is made by browning the flour in oil for a longer time and adds a distinct nutty flavor to a dish. They may be called "blond," "peanut-butter," "brown," or "chocolate" roux depending on their color. The darker the color, the richer the flavor.
Swabian(southwest German) cooking uses a darker roux for its "brown broth" (braune Brühe), which, in its simplest form, consists of nothing more than lard, flour, and water, with a bay leaf and salt for seasoning.Dark roux is often made with vegetable oils, which have a highersmoke pointthan butter, and are used inCajunandCreole cuisineforgumbosandstews. The darker the roux, the less thickening power it has; a chocolate roux has about one-fourth the thickening power, by weight, of a white roux. A very dark roux, just shy of burning and turning black, has a distinctly reddish color and is sometimes referred to as "brick" roux.
In Hungary, roux(rántás)is almost always made withpaprikaand is the basis of several dishes, includingfőzelék(vegetable stew) and soups. It may also be prepared with onions and garlic.
Staka(στάκα) is a type of roux particular toCretan cuisine. It is prepared by cookingsheep's milkcream over a low flame withwheat flourorstarch: theprotein-rich part of thebutterfatcoagulates with the flour or starch and forms thestakaproper, which is served hot. It is generally eaten by dipping bread in it, occasionally served overFrench fries.
The fatty part separates to formstakovoutyro, staka butter, which is kept for later use and has a faint cheesy flavor. Staka butter is used in Cretanpilaf(piláfi), commonly served at weddings.