What does the Protestant Reformation have to do with Hollandaise Sauce?
When we say mother is mothering, I think of this mother sauce right here: the glorious Hollandaise. Before learning about the French mother sauces, I assumed that it originated from…erm Holland. I thought the Dutch people are who to thank for this rich, emulsified sauce. Well after some internet digging - it may be the Huguenots, that were expelled from France due to religious persecution, we should be thanking.
According to History.com, the Huguenots were 16th and 17th century French Protestants. They followed the teachings of a theologian named John Calvin who was famed for his ideals during the Protestant Reformation period. This was a time where there was religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval in Catholic dominated Europe. This group was continually persecuted by the Catholic influenced French government since they did not conform to Catholicism and were increasingly viewed as a threat to the monarch. Following violent conflicts, including the 1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and King Louis XIV’s 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes which ended Protestant protections, Huguenots fled France in large numbers. This mass exodus took a toll on France’s working population as they were an educated and skilled class that was especially prolific in the textile industry. At the time, non-Catholic dominated places like Germany and Switzerland welcomed Huguenots. However, the most significant population ended up in the Netherlands, specifically in Amsterdam. These Calvinist refugees began using locally available Dutch butter for their sauces. Hence - Hollandaise.
Let the record reflect, Sauce Isigny. Named after a town in Normandy, Isigny-sur-Mer, well-known for its butter and dairy industry, this sauce existed well before Hollandaise. In fact a contradicting theory to above suggests that the renaming of Sauce Isigny to Hollandaise is due to the fact that during World War 1, disruptions to Normandy’s dairy production led to importing butter from the Netherlands. As Albert Elder suggests, during this period Dutch food products and culinary ideas significantly influenced French cuisine. So the renaming may have been an effort to highlight the importance of Dutch imports.
Although there are two varying theories, there are enough records to suggest the validity to both of these theories as to the origins of Hollandaise. Perhaps Huguenots can be credited of popularizing the name hollandaise as it technically existed previously as Sauce Isigny. Or perhaps it can be credited to WW1 disruptions to Normandy’s dairy industry, thereby solidifying the name and impact of Dutch imports. Either way, this simple mother sauce’s history is as rich as its flavor!
Links to websites mentioned/referenced:
https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/features/good_living/hollandaise-sauce---the-fifth-of-the-mother-sauces/article_a52c3508-dd5b-11ed-bcbe-e7fda8dd0304.html
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2022/12/mayonnaise-hollandaise-huguenots-and-nostalgia-a-culinary-history/
https://www.history.com/articles/huguenots
https://www.history.com/articles/reformation
https://www.saveur.com/recipes/classic-french-mother-sauces-hollandaise-sauce/
https://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/history.html
https://nationalhuguenotsociety.org/who-were-the-huguenots/
https://alberteldar.is/en/2025/02/19/hollandaise-sauce/
https://www.oliveenvy.com.au/post/the-uncertain-birth-of-hollandaise-dueling-histories-of-a-saucy-nature