Is it all Gravy? or just sauce

beast of the east

beast of the east

Active member
Not to resurrect a classic argument among Italian-Americans, but a few years ago we had a brief debate on his as to whether it is appropriate to call tomato sauce "gravy". Kranmars was fiercely firm in his assertion that it's GRAVY. I as firmly was an advocate of SAUCE.

I believe I've found an acceptable answer that is the bridge to this age old debate. I raised this issue with an elderly relative, a Brooklyn lifelong native who was a butcher his entire life. His answer was brief, but resolute, and makes perfect sense. If there is meat in the sauce, you can call it GRAVY. Without meat, it's just sauce.

The answer makes sense to me. Kranmars may think otherwise.
 
Not to resurrect a classic argument among Italian-Americans, but a few years ago we had a brief debate on his as to whether it is appropriate to call tomato sauce "gravy". Kranmars was fiercely firm in his assertion that it's GRAVY. I as firmly was an advocate of SAUCE.

I believe I've found an acceptable answer that is the bridge to this age old debate. I raised this issue with an elderly relative, a Brooklyn lifelong native who was a butcher his entire life. His answer was brief, but resolute, and makes perfect sense. If there is meat in the sauce, you can call it GRAVY. Without meat, it's just sauce.

The answer makes sense to me. Kranmars may think otherwise.
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Trust me, I never use the term gravy, when discussing what goes on pasta. My parents are immigrants. For so long, they had no idea what the word gravy meant. You must have mistaken me for someone else.

I call anything that goes on pasta a sauce. Even if it has meat (i.e. bolognese sause). The only other term I will use is a ragu (i.e. mushroom ragu).

Gravy is used on Thanksgiving with the turkey. This is slander. I am not going to defend myself again over this continued and overt defamation of my character.
 
The term gravy is used only when meat is added to the sauce. Otherwise, sauce.
 
Not to resurrect a classic argument among Italian-Americans, but a few years ago we had a brief debate on his as to whether it is appropriate to call tomato sauce "gravy". Kranmars was fiercely firm in his assertion that it's GRAVY. I as firmly was an advocate of SAUCE.

I believe I've found an acceptable answer that is the bridge to this age old debate. I raised this issue with an elderly relative, a Brooklyn lifelong native who was a butcher his entire life. His answer was brief, but resolute, and makes perfect sense. If there is meat in the sauce, you can call it GRAVY. Without meat, it's just sauce.

The answer makes sense to me. Kranmars may think otherwise.
Click to expand...



Trust me, I never use the term gravy, when discussing what goes on pasta. My parents are immigrants. For so long, they had no idea what the word gravy meant. You must have mistaken me for someone else.

I call anything that goes on pasta a sauce. Even if it has meat (i.e. bolognese sause). The only other term I will use is a ragu (i.e. mushroom ragu).

Gravy is used on Thanksgiving with the turkey. This is slander. I am not going to defend myself again over this continued and overt defamation of my character.
Click to expand...

Apologies to you. I am in the "sauce" camp myself, but this explanation sounded plausible.
 
I grew up in Brooklyn with lots and lots of Italian American friends. I went to college on Staten Island and was a distinct minority, over 65% of the student body was Italian American. I dated an Italian American and her mother was a great Italian cook.

When growing up we all called it sauce or red sauce.

When I met my girlfriend's mother, the great cook, she called it gravy whether it had meat in it or not.

I think some Italian Americans use the two terms interchangeably, others don't. I don't see a consensus on this one.
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
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Thanks for clearing this up! :)
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
Click to expand...


First of all, there are several versions of red sauce that are meatless. Marianra sauce has no meat, Putanesca sauce has anchovies but no meat, Caponata sauce has a lot of stuff in it but no meat. Classic Italian sauces. Second, to be technical gravy is made from fat and juices that are rendered after meat is cooked long in the oven, while Grandma's meat sauce is made by browning meat then adding tomatoes and a few litttle odds and ends and letting it cook for awhile. Some Italian Ameicans refer to this classic Sunday sauce as gravy. That don't make it right!
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
Click to expand...


First of all, there are several versions of red sauce that are meatless. Marianra sauce has no meat, Putanesca sauce has anchovies but no meat, Caponata sauce has a lot of stuff in it but no meat. Classic Italian sauces. Second, to be technical gravy is made from fat and juices that are rendered after meat is cooked long in the oven, while Grandma's meat sauce is made by browning meat then adding tomatoes and a few litttle odds and ends and letting it cook for awhile. Some Italian Ameicans refer to this classic Sunday sauce as gravy. That don't make it right!
Click to expand...

hey us Greeks use meat in our sauce! It's called Kima and it's damn good
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
Click to expand...


First of all, there are several versions of red sauce that are meatless. Marianra sauce has no meat, Putanesca sauce has anchovies but no meat, Caponata sauce has a lot of stuff in it but no meat. Classic Italian sauces. Second, to be technical gravy is made from fat and juices that are rendered after meat is cooked long in the oven, while Grandma's meat sauce is made by browning meat then adding tomatoes and a few litttle odds and ends and letting it cook for awhile. Some Italian Ameicans refer to this classic Sunday sauce as gravy. That don't make it right!
Click to expand...

Thanks for fact checking my joke. If you find some extra time I have a twitter feed that could probably use a going over as well.
 
Question: What kind of an Italian makes red sauce and doesn't put any meat in it. Answer: a Greek. Therefore it's all gravy.
Click to expand...


First of all, there are several versions of red sauce that are meatless. Marianra sauce has no meat, Putanesca sauce has anchovies but no meat, Caponata sauce has a lot of stuff in it but no meat. Classic Italian sauces. Second, to be technical gravy is made from fat and juices that are rendered after meat is cooked long in the oven, while Grandma's meat sauce is made by browning meat then adding tomatoes and a few litttle odds and ends and letting it cook for awhile. Some Italian Ameicans refer to this classic Sunday sauce as gravy. That don't make it right!
Click to expand...

hey us Greeks use meat in our sauce! It's called Kima and it's damn good
Click to expand...

Just so you are aware, you are responding to poster who enjoys making saucy comments on many other topics here. Let alone one about actual sauce.

As far as fun is concerned, your responses are gravy.
 
funny I had this same conversation with an Italian chef a couple of weeks ago. He was adamantly in the "Sauce" camp, while my Irish grandmother (best Italian cook in the family) and Italian grandfather would disagree...
 
funny I had this same conversation with an Italian chef a couple of weeks ago. He was adamantly in the "Sauce" camp, while my Irish grandmother (best Italian cook in the family) and Italian grandfather would disagree...
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I think the term gravy has its origniation in Brooklyn.
 
I'm waiting for Kranmars to do a crossover and make a turkey with gravy and stuffed with meatballs mozzarella cheese and sauce. I'll be looking forward to that invite over to his place for dinner

I'll bring the wine
 
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