National Tartar Sauce Day – March 7, 2025

History of National Tartar Sauce Day

The real origin of tartar sauce remains unclear. Some say that it has been in existence since the Roman era, while others insist that tartar sauce originated from France. A few maintain that the French evolved the condiment. The current tartar sauce originated in France as sauce tartare. It is spelled as ‘tartare sauce’ in some parts of Europe, South Africa, and Australia.

Tartar sauce is mainly made from mayonnaise with pickles, capers, herbs, and in some recipes, hard-boiled eggs or lemon juice. The recipes differ in different places to accommodate individual tastes and preferences. The sauce is made as a condiment to be enjoyed with seafood. The best seafood choices are cod, salmon, haddock, shrimp, and pollack. Tartar sauce became commercially available in the 1920s, making it easier to get it at grocery stores, rather than making it from scratch.

The National Tartar Sauce Day that takes place every Friday after Lent starts, has a cultural and religious link to food. This is because as a large amount of people switch to consuming fish, the distinct flavor of the sauce becomes a necessity. Seeing how the limitation on food items to be consumed can have an impact on the eating habits of people, the National Tartar Sauce Day came into being. The day was founded by Frisch’s Big Boy in 2017 to pay tribute to the sauce that becomes a must have item on a yearly basis. However, Frisch’s relationship with tartar sauce is a story on its own. The first Frisch’s cafe was opened up in Cincinnati in 1923, and was taken over by the original owner’s son, Dave Frisch, in 1923. This is when Dave started experimenting with food and ended up adding his homemade tartar sauce to the Big Boy sandwich. From thereon, the special sauce by Dave became a hit and went on to be sold in stores in the 1960s. Since the tartar sauce led to the instant success of the eatery, it is no wonder Dave Frisch decided to create a day especially for it!

National Tartar Sauce Day is celebrated at a time when the condiment is in high demand during this period as seafood becomes the choicest food item of the season. Lent is the period of fasting and abstinence from beef and chicken. For those who are not really fans of fish, tartar sauce is the best for enjoying fish and seafood with its creaminess and zingy taste.

Of course before tartar sauce was discovered, people resorted to other sauces to add flavor to food items. For instance, in the Middle Ages, mustard was very famous. The ingredients for mustard too, were later amended to make it more commercial. In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, several other sauces were invented such as Pesto sauce, chutney, soy sauce, and ketchup!

Tartar sauce is also enjoyed with pita bread, chips, and roasted veggies. We celebrate National Tartar Sauce Day with lots of seafood and enjoy it with the sauce. If you don’t like fish at all, you can enjoy it with vegetables.