Sauce velouté is one of the cinq sauces mères, or five ‘Mother Sauces’ of French cuisine. It’s made of white stock (usually chicken or veal) thickened with a white roux (butter and flour).
Soupe veloutée is smoother and richer than a potage, which is usually made with a roux moistened with broth, then bound with an egg yolk and cream, then run through the blender.
Image by Matt @ PEK from Taipei, Taiwan