That beautiful gravy you pour on your Thanksgiving turkey might also be a sauce. But wait, isn’t tomato sauce also called gravy?
The Short Answer:
Yes, gravy is a kind of sauce.
The Long Answer:
As an Italian American, I’ve been hearing the word gravy consistently throughout my entire life. Gravy was both the brown or tan dressing made from meat or poultry drippings, as well as the red sauce served on Sunday nights along with meatballs, sausage, and pasta.
That got me wondering as to the nature of gravy and whether not it could actually be considered a sauce. Is there a definition of gravy as opposed to sauce? Writing this blog for over a year now, I should have known the answer to the question. Of course, it is specifically defined.
Sauce is a French word, taken from the Latin word “salsa,” which means “salted.” Sauce is defined as a relish meant to make food more appetizing. They’re either liquid or semi-liquid and are meant to alter, enhance, or otherwise change the look, smell, and taste of a food. Hot sauce would be a great example. In times long gone, refrigeration didn’t exist, so meat, fish, and poultry would spoil quickly. Sauce was created to enhance the flavor of a food in the face of decay. Some common sauces include honey mustard, ketchup, or cranberry sauce.
Gravy is a sauce, but one that is specifically made from meat juices. Gravies are usually combined with some form of liquid, like chicken broth, milk, wine, or beef broth, before being introduced to a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch. Some gravies are nothing more than the congealed juices that drip off of cooking meat. Gravies are usually poured over the meat or poultry that it was made from. For example, on Thanksgiving, you’d enhance your turkey with gravy made from that turkey’s drippings. It also goes great over mashed potatoes and biscuits.
So, is my family way off when they talk about that traditional Italian “Sunday Gravy?”
Yes, they are.
Tomato sauce is not a traditional gravy, because it is not made from the drippings of meat. It is instead a sauce made from crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and various other ingredients that change depending on which elderly Italian is preparing it. While this was a blow to my Italian American heart it is a distinction that has to be made.
It should be noted that in Italy, you wouldn’t call tomato sauce gravy. It’s strictly an Italian American thing. (Which leads to a delightfully funny scene in an episode of The Sopranos) One could make the argument that cooking meatballs or sausage in the tomato sauce (as most Italian Americans do) could make it a gravy, but that seems like a stretch in my opinion.
So, while all gravies are sauces, all sauces cannot be considered gravies.
What is your favorite gravy? What is your favorite sauce? Is your favorite gravy your favorite sauce? And do you call tomato sauce gravy? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
FAQs
Based on current understanding of what a gravy is at its core (a sauce made from meat drippings combined with a thickening agent), one of the earliest recorded instances of a gravy being used is from The Forme of Cury, a cookbook from the 14th century.
Does gravy count as a sauce? ›
Gravy is a sauce, but one that is specifically made from meat juices. Gravies are usually combined with some form of liquid, like chicken broth, milk, wine, or beef broth, before being introduced to a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch.
Is gravy a Soup or a sauce? ›
Gravy is a savoury sauce traditionally served with roast meats and vegetables. Discover how to make a rich, flavourful gravy at home. A thickened sauce made from the juices that ooze from meat and/or vegetables as they cook. Most commonly served with roast meats and vegetables.
What is gravy considered as? ›
Gravy is a savoury sauce traditionally made from the juices left in the pan after roasting a joint of meat in the oven, alongside other ingredients - such as flour, butter and cornstarch to thicken.
Why is it called gravy not sauce? ›
The argument for calling it gravy
Roberto Dolci, a linguist at Università per Stranieri di Perugia, believes that some immigrants adopted the English term to assimilate into American culture. Rather than using only "sauce," which casually sounded too much like salsa, they changed the meaning of gravy to fit in.
Is gravy a type of sauce? ›
Based on current understanding of what a gravy is at its core (a sauce made from meat drippings combined with a thickening agent), one of the earliest recorded instances of a gravy being used is from The Forme of Cury, a cookbook from the 14th century.
What is considered a sauce? ›
sauce, liquid or semiliquid mixture that is added to a food as it cooks or that is served with it. Sauces provide flavour, moisture, and a contrast in texture and colour. They may also serve as a medium in which food is contained, for example, the velouté sauce of creamed chicken.
What do Americans call gravy? ›
In the U.S. we also use the word gravy in reference to a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat thickened with flour or other starches. This is the first thing that comes to mind for many of use when we hear the word gravy. We make this from roast beef, chicken, turkey, etc.
What is gravy slang for? ›
slang. money or gain acquired with little effort, esp above that needed for ordinary living. slang. wonderful; excellent. it's all gravy.
What makes a gravy a gravy? ›
At the most basic level, gravy is a simple pan sauce that requires liquid and a thickener. Traditional turkey gravy usually has fat, flour, and stock. You can make excellent turkey gravy with just those ingredients, plus salt and pepper for seasoning.
Gravy is high in fat, which isn't great. But as long as you're eating it in moderation, the fat content is not the problem. Again, that doesn't mean you can hit the gravy boat everyday. But there is more to gravy than just the fat: the bleached white flour, the saturated fat, the nitrates.
What is a fancy word for gravy? ›
benefit dividend extra gratuity guerdon pay dirt perk windfall.
What is another type of gravy? ›
Brown and giblet gravy, milk gravy, mushroom gravy, and onion gravy are fairly standard fare throughout the United States. (There's also the whole matter of Italian sugos and ragus being called gravy but that's not what we're talking about here.)
Which is correct, sauce or gravy? ›
The conclusion? Technically speaking, gravy can be considered a type of sauce, but not all sauce is gravy. This doesn't answer everything, and it won't settle the argument, but it's good enough for me and should be good enough for you, too.
What defines a ragu? ›
Ragù is a meat-based sauce, typically served with pasta. Traditionally, pieces of meat (often beef, pork, game, or even horse), are cooked on a low heat in a braising liquid (this is usually tomato or wine-based) over a long period of time.
Is it gravy or curry sauce? ›
In its simplest form, curry is an Indian gravy or sauce that is used in tandem with meat, tofu, or vegetables. It's served rice, most popularly Basmati rice, and contains many different kinds of spices. Depending on what your recipe calls for, you could have a mild curry or a curry that's super spicy.
Does gravy count as a liquid? ›
And, yes, for packing purposes, gravy and cranberry sauce count as liquids. "If you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it's larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag," according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Is brown sauce just gravy? ›
In classical French cuisine, a brown sauce is generally a sauce with a meat stock base, thickened by reduction, and sometimes the addition of a browned roux, similar in some ways to, but more involved than, a gravy.
Does Mayo count as a sauce? ›
Mayo itself is a sauce, a role it retains when heated or stirred into a recipe. Yet it turns into a condiment when it's spread onto something finished.
What food group is gravy in? ›
Gravy is a member of the Soups, Sauces, and Gravies US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
