Gravy: Difference between revisions

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'''Gravy''' is a [[sauce]] often made from the [[juice]]s of [[meat]]s that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with [[wheat flour]] or [[corn starch]] for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt and caramel food colouring) or gravy browning (gravy salt dissolved in water) or ready-made [[bouillon cube|cubes]] and powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts. Canned and instant gravies are also available.<ref>{{cite book | last=Peter | first=K.V. | title=Handbook of Herbs and Spices | publisher=Elsevier Science | series=Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-85709-567-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4FwAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA112 | access-date=May 23, 2017 | page=112}}</ref> Gravy is commonly served with [[Biscuit (bread)|biscuits]] (North America, see [[biscuits and gravy]]), [[roasting|roasts]], [[meatloaf]], [[rice]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.realcajunrecipes.com/recipe/rice-and-gravy/|title=Rice and Gravy &#124; RealCajunRecipes.com: la cuisine de maw-maw!|date=January 1, 1970|website=RealCajunRecipes.com}}</ref> [[noodles]], [[Chips (hot food)|chips]] (fries) and [[mashed potato]]es.

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. The term "gravy"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gravy {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports-and-everyday-life/food-and-drink/food-and-cooking/gravy |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> is believed to be derived from the French word "''gravé"'' that is found in many medieval French cookbooks. Most of the gravy we know today has its roots firmly planted in French cuisine. French cuisine saw a revival of what was called "sauce cookery" in the 17th century which is where most of the basic ideas of adding a [[roux]] to a sauce to make a gravy comes from. As the influence of this style of cooking began to grow, it was expanded upon with influences from various other cultures. During this time one of the most common ingredients that's still used to this day was added, "[[drawn butter]]". Gravy began to grow in popularity in the 1800s.

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* Brown gravy is the name for a gravy made from the drippings from roasted meat or fowl. The drippings are cooked on the stovetop at high heat with onions or other vegetables, and then thickened with a thin mixture of water and either wheat flour or cornstarch.

* Cream gravy or white gravy is a [[bechamel]] sauce made using fats from meat - such as sausage or bacon - or meat drippings from roasting or frying meats. The fat and drippings are combined with flour to make a roux, and milk is typically used as the liquid to create the sauce, however cream is often added or may be the primary liquid. It is frequently seasoned with black pepper and complimenting herbs and bits of meat may be added such as sausage or diced chicken liver. It is an important part of many Southern USA meals, and frequently used as an ingredient in casseroles and other southern dishes, such as [[biscuits and gravy]] and served alongside many Southern favorites such as [[Mashed potato|mashed potatoes]], [[fried chicken]] and [[chicken-fried steak]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/tys-southern-cream-gravy-3057039|title=Homemade Southern Cream Gravy With Drippings|website=The Spruce Eats}}</ref> Other common names include country gravy, sawmill gravy, milk gravy, and [[sausage gravy]].

* Egg gravy is a variety of gravy made starting with meat drippings (usually from [[bacon]]) followed by flour being used to make a thick [[roux]]. Water, broth, or milk is added and the liquid is brought back up to a boil, then salt and peppered to taste. A well-beaten [[Egg (food)|egg]] is then slowly added while the gravy is stirred or whisked swiftly, cooking the egg immediately and separating it into small fragments in the gravy. Called rich man's gravy in some areas of the southern US.

* Red Gravy can refer to several different dishes. It is a simple, basic tomato sauce in New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gumbopages.com/food/sauces/red-gravy.html|title=New Orleans Red Gravy|website=www.gumbopages.com}}</ref> In the Italian American communities it refers to a complex long and slow cooked tomato sauce, frequently with meats and vegetables, similar to Ragu′<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/do-you-prefer-sauce-or-gravy#:~:text=Many%20Italian%2DAmericans%20use%20tomato,full%20of%20meats%20and%20vegetables. | title=Do You Prefer Sauce or Gravy? &#124; Wonderopolis }}</ref> Although the distinction between "sauce" and "gravy" in the Italian tomato world is apparently hotly debated.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://orderisda.org/culture/language/lets-finally-settle-the-decades-old-sauce-vs-gravy-debate/. | title=Let's Finally Settle the Decades-old Sauce vs. Gravy Debate | date=17 May 2020 }}</ref> Then there are several red gravies from India, which are variations of tomato based curry <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vegetariantastebuds.com/restaurant-style-red-gravy/|title=Restaurant Style Red Gravy &#124; all-purpose curry base|website=https://www.vegetariantastebuds.com/}}</ref>

* [[Onion gravy]] is made from large quantities of slowly [[Sweating (cooking)|sweated]], chopped [[onion]]s mixed with [[stock (food)|stock]] or [[wine]]. Commonly served with [[bangers and mash]], eggs, [[meat chop|chops]], or other grilled or fried meat which by way of the cooking method would not produce their own gravy.

* [[Chocolate gravy]] is a variety of gravy made with fat, flour, cocoa powder, and varying amounts of sugar. This variety is more common in cuisine of the Southern United States and is most often served as a Sunday morning dish with fresh biscuits in the Ozark and Appalachian Mountain regions and Alabama. It is also commonly served on Christmas morning.

Throughout the United States, gravy is commonly eaten with [[Thanksgiving]] foods such as [[turkey meat|turkey]], [[mashed potato]]es 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]].

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.<ref>[http://indianfood.about.com/od/masalarecipes/r/basicgravy.htm Basic Indian gravy]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.daawat.com/recipes/indian/veg/gravy.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211213011/http://www.daawat.com/recipes/indian/veg/gravy.htm|url-status=dead|title=List of Indian gravy dishes|archivedate=December 11, 2009}}</ref>