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The court of King Louis XIV, often referred to as the Sun King, was a vibrant hub of creativity encompassing not just art and literature, but also an unprecedented culinary movement. It was during this time that chefs began to break free from the confines of medieval cooking, paving the way for what we now call French haute cuisine.

Significant changes in the preparation and presentation of sauces took center stage. Cookbooks began to reflect this shift, notably François Pierre La Varenne’s "Le Cuisinier François," which introduced lighter sauces made with cream and fresh herbs instead of the heavily spiced, gritty mixtures of breadcrumbs that characterized earlier cuisines. This marked a radical departure, leading to the emergence of "mother sauces," one of which is the iconic béchamel.