Tartare sauce (UK: Tartar sauce) is a thick white sauce made from mayonnaise and finely chopped vegetables, usually including pickled gherkins, capers, olives and pickled onions. It is is frequently used to season fried fish dishes. It can also be made by mixing commercially produced relish and mayonnaise.

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

The name derives from the Tartar tribes of Mongolia; in French, the word "tartar" loosely translates as "rough", as the sauce is typically of a rough consistency.

External Links

• An explanation of the name's origin, from The Straight Dope (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtartar.html)
• A recipe at Delia Smith's Deliaonline.com 
• A definition at Allrecipes.com