Re: Italian sauce

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

Although I have heard the term gravy used at times, we have always used "sauce." To me gravy is the stuff that goes on meat.

~Whenever a king sees that his people are about to revolt, he starts a war...~ Napoleon

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

Okay, I did some research on this. Here is what I found.

Tomato Sauce without meat is always called sauce.

Sauce with meat, which is a ragu, is sometimes called gravy. This term was adapted by Italian immigrants who wanted to assimulate into American society. Traditional Gravy is made from meat, so Italian sauce made with meat was called gravy or Sunday gravy.

Apparently it was a regional term. Not all Italians got the memo.

Jaspersmom · ‎06-08-2011

I live on Long Island. Oh, the fun battles I've heard about sauce vs. gravy. MOST people I know call it sauce, but there are a few out there who insist on calling it gravy. LOL. Sunday sauce for most of us.

Citrine1 · ‎03-09-2010

I'm not Italian and I call it sauce, but all of my Italian friends call it gravy. They also refer to all pastas as macaroni.

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

@Carmie wrote:
I am Italian and grew up in an Italian neighborhood, went to an Italian grade school and went to an Italian church.

It was always sauce. I never heard tomato sauce called gravy until I was an adult and heard the term while watching a movie.

To me, gravy is made from pan meat drippings with flour or corn starch. I live in south central PA.

It must be a regional term. In the Italian language it is called Salsa de pomodoro...how anyone got gravy out of that beats me.

@Carmie

we have a number of friends from italy (some in the restaurant business) and they cringe or laugh when they hear people call it gravy.

********************************************
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@sunshine45 They probably have never heard of the term. It seems to have been used by immigrants, mostly in the NY, NJ and Philly area from what I can gather.

Anyway, as long as it tastes good, I guess sauce called by any other name is still good.

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

I think some people like to use the term "gravy" to "prove" they're really Italian. Not everyone of course, but some.

~Whenever a king sees that his people are about to revolt, he starts a war...~ Napoleon

QVCkitty1 · ‎05-23-2015

@faeriemoon wrote:
I think some people like to use the term "gravy" to "prove" they're really Italian. Not everyone of course, but some.

Forgive me for saying this but I have always thought it sounded kind of ignorant. It is based on an interpretation (or misinterpretation) of the word ragu', which is a meat sauce.

Don't jump on me; I'm not calling anyone ignorant. I think the interpretation is was coined by someone who was ignorant.

@faeriemoon , Does it really matter ?

" You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts."
Daniel Patrick Moynihan

faeriemoon · ‎03-14-2010

@QVCkitty1 Not in the least. I don't know why people argue over it. It's right up there with the caramel pronunciation thing importance-wise.

~Whenever a king sees that his people are about to revolt, he starts a war...~ Napoleon

Tori3569 · ‎06-27-2010

I'm 100% southern Italian born and raised in the Bronx (still live here) where my Mom was born and my Dad was born in Brooklyn. Both sets of Grandparents came to the US in their teens.

On both sides of my family, it was called tomato sauce (marinara) unless it had meatballs, sausage, bracciole, etc. in it. Then it was called gravy.