JACKSON, Miss. — Comeback sauce, a spicy, versatile remnant of a bygone South, is making something of, well, a comeback. And it is reminding Southerners of an old connection to Hellenic culture.

Jackson was one of the many Southern towns where Greek immigrants found cafe jobs beginning in the 1920s. They learned the trade and English, eventually opening their own businesses. By midcentury, most of this city’s mainstay restaurants were owned by Greek families.

On the table was comeback dressing, usually poured on iceberg salads and saltines. Many people here say it originated at the Rotisserie restaurant in the mid-1930s, while others credit the Mayflower. Eventually, many of Jackson’s leading Greek-owned restaurants had versions. “It’s not a sauce, it’s a culture,” said Malcolm White, a former restaurateur who is now a state tourism official.

Boiled-shrimp orange, the sauce is a cousin of Louisiana rémoulade. Comeback’s essentials are garlic and mayonnaise. One theory about its name is that comeback’s perfection compels the diner to return for more. The more likely, less pleasant explanation is that its garlic scent has a way of sticking around.