Gravy: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Sauce made from the juices of meats}}

{{Infobox food

'''Gravy''' is a [[sauce]] made from the juices of [[meat]]s and [[vegetable]]s that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a mix of salt and caramel food colouring) or gravy browning (gravy salt dissolved in water) or [[bouillon cube]]s. Powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts. Canned and instant gravies are also available. Gravy is commonly served with [[roasting|roasts]], [[meatloaf]], [[sandwich|sandwiches]], [[rice]], [[noodles]], [[French fries|fries]] (chips), [[mashed potato]]es, or [[biscuit (bread)|biscuits]] (North America, see [[biscuits and gravy]]).

== History ==

One of the earliest recorded mentions of gravy is in a British recipe book entitled "[[The Forme of Cury]]", dating from the 14th century. The term gravy originates from the Old French word for meat or fish bouillon, which in fourteenth century French manuscripts was "gravé" or "grané". It is suggested that  the French word grané is associated with grain, connecting grain’s usage in culinary terms as a sauce made from meat and served with meat.

=== Popularisation in different cultures ===

Some think that the establishment of gravy as a British household staple came as a result of a long-running advertising campaign by the British food product brand OXO. The advertisements, which ran on British television from 1983 to 1999, featured a middle-class British family eating meals with Oxo gravy. Gravy is now an integral ingredient in the classic British [[Sunday roast]].

The long history of British colonization and immigration in North America has influenced food production and consumption in Canada and the United States. In North America, gravy is considered a popular sauce to accompany traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations and food, such as turkey and potatoes.

In the Southern United States, gravy and biscuits are popular breakfast foods that originated in Southern Appalachia in the late 1800s. While the South has developed various types of gravy, most contain sausage, flour, butter, and milk, affordable ingredients for working class families.

Gravy is one of three ingredients in the famous French-Canadian dish [[poutine]], made up of French fries, cheese curds, and a salty, light brown sauce combining beef and chicken stock. Poutine emerged in rural Québec in the 1950s and has become one of Canada’s most iconic meals.

In Italian American culture, gravy is sometimes used to refer to meat-based tomato sauce.

=== Instant gravy ===

The first instant gravy was developed by the British company Bisto in 1908, as a meat-flavoured powder that can be combined with water and served with meat. Instant gravy is now sold by various companies, including Heinz, Knorr, and McCormick.

==Types==

: ''See also [[wikt:gravy#Hyponyms|Wiktionary > gravy § Hyponyms]]''

* Vegetable gravy or vegetarian gravy is gravy made with boiled or roasted vegetables. A quick and flavourful vegetable gravy can be made from any combination of vegetable broth or vegetable stock, flour, and one of either butter, oil, or [[margarine]]. One recipe uses vegetarian [[bouillon cube]]s with [[cornstarch]] (corn flour) as a thickener ("cowboy [[roux]]"), which is whisked into boiling water. Sometimes vegetable juices are added to enrich the flavour, which may give the gravy a dark green colour. Wine could be added. Brown vegetarian gravy can also be made with savoury [[yeast extract]] like [[Marmite]] or [[Vegemite]]. There are also commercially produced instant gravy granules which are suitable for both [[vegetarians]] and [[vegans]], though some of the leading brands are not marketed as being vegetarian.

==Cuisines==

[[File:-2019-12-22 Roast turkey served vegtables, pigs in blanket, stuffing, cranberry sauce tartlet, and gravy, Trimingham.JPG|thumb|Roast meal with gravy]]

[[File:2021-11-25 21 30 25 Mashed potatoes with gravy from Wegmans in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg|thumb|[[Mashed potato]]es and gravy from an American supermarket]]

In the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], a [[Sunday roast]] is usually served with gravy. It is commonly eaten with [[beef]], [[pork]], [[chicken (food)|chicken]] or [[Lamb and mutton|lamb]]. It is also popular in different parts of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland to have gravy with just [[French fries|chips]] (mostly from a [[fish and chip]] shop or [[Chinese takeaway]]).

In [[British cuisine|British]] and [[Irish cuisine]], as well as in the cuisines of [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries like [[Australia]], [[Canada]] and [[New Zealand]], the word gravy refers only to the meat-based sauce derived from meat juices, stock cubes or gravy granules. Use of the word "gravy" does not include other thickened sauces. One of the most popular forms is [[onion gravy]], which is eaten with sausages, [[Yorkshire pudding]] and roast meat.

Throughout the United States, gravy is commonly eaten with [[Thanksgiving]] foods such as [[turkey meat|turkey]], mashed potatoes and [[stuffing]]. One Southern United States variation is sausage gravy eaten with [[Biscuit (bread)|American biscuits]]. Another Southern US dish that uses white gravy is [[chicken-fried steak]]. [[Rice and gravy]] is a staple of [[Cajun cuisine|Cajun]] and [[Louisiana Creole cuisine|Creole cuisine]] in the southern US state of [[Louisiana]].

Gravy is a key ingredient in the Canadian dish poutine which is a combination of french fries, gravy and cheese curds. The dish emerged in Quebec and is associated with the province’s identity.

In some parts of [[Asia]], particularly [[India]], gravy is any thickened liquid part of a dish. For example, the liquid part of a thick [[curry]] may be referred to as gravy.

In the Mediterranean, [[Maghreb]] cuisine is dominated with gravy and bread-based dishes. [[Tajine]] and most Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) dishes are derivatives of oil, meat and vegetable gravies. The dish is usually served with a loaf of bread. The bread is then dipped into the gravy and then used to gather or scoop the meat and vegetables between the index, middle finger and thumb, and consumed.

In gastronomy of [[Menorca]], it has been used since the English influence during the 17th century in typical Menorcan and Catalan dishes, as for example ''macarrons amb grevi'' (pasta).

==See also==

{{Portal|Food}}

* [[Sauce boat]], also referred to as a gravy boat

==References==

{{Wiktionary}}

{{Commons category|Gravy}}

{{Lists of prepared foods|state=collapsed}}

{{English cuisine}}

[[Category:Sauces]]

[[Category:Non-Newtonian fluids]]

[[Category:Meat-based sauces]]

{{二次利用|date=23 May 2025, at 01:37}}