mirepoix

American  

[mir-pwah] / mɪrˈpwɑ /

Or mirepois

noun

1. a flavoring made from diced vegetables, seasonings, herbs, and sometimes meat, often placed in a pan to cook with meat or fish.

2. finely chopped vegetables, as onions and carrots, sometimes with meat, often used as a bed for meat that is to be braised.

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mirepoix British  

/ mɪəˈpwɑː /

noun

1. a mixture of sautéed root vegetables used as a base for braising meat or for various sauces

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Etymology

Origin of mirepoix

1875–80; < French; said to have been named after C. P. G. F. de Lévis, duke of Mirepoix, 18th-century French diplomat

Example Sentences

Bell peppers, jalapeños, a mirepoix and a butt-load of seasoning.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

West African gumbo tends to be made with way, way more okra and, instead of relying on a roux or mirepoix to impart flavor, it contains dried fish powder, shrimp powder and “heavy-duty spices.”

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2024

After browning your mirepoix and meats, reducing red wine and adding tomato paste, the next step reads as such:

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2024

Gills Onions, a California-based company, voluntarily recalled packages of diced yellow onions, red onions, and onions and celery, as well as a mix of onions, celery and carrots known as mirepoix.

From New York Times • Oct. 25, 2023

Truss fourteen snipe and cook them in a mirepoix made with plenty of ham, fat bacon, herbs, and a wine glass of Marsala.

From The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes by Waters, W. G., Mrs.