This is where I was told the phrases came to change through the years as the dish was Americanized. Got it, as you say? I am of Italian hertiage. I would suggest to call it by whatever you grew up saying. Sauce with meat was “gravy “. Needless to say I grew, I learned and now I call it sauce. I was born in South Philly…, and so we and our relatives from the burbs and South Jersey too, always went with one clear distinction on this matter: IF it had MEAT in it, we called it GRAVY…PERIOD!!! If your grandfather sacrificed everything to come to America and called it Sauce/Gravy, and somebody says that’s wrong… It can definitely be aggravating. Sunday gravy is a classic dish among Italian Americans. NY Times food editor Craig Claiborne wrote in 1979 that there was no difference, but the word sauce had a “more sophisticated ring to it.”. In Italian he jokingly called it something else he refused to translate. The publishers turned him down because “What woman needs a book to cook from”. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. My Italian grandmother, grandma Salerno called it gravy and my mom calls it gravy. If you are like me and come from a family that is 100% Italian on both sides, you've had a lot of family time in your life. He also called the white stuff “macaronsies”…..lol. That’s a good way to destroy all the nutrients in the ingredients. Because an Italian “Sunday” sauce is primarily considered a meat sauce/gravy, you have conflicting opinions. I have never heard it pronounced like that ra-yuu? It ultimately comes down to an appreciation and respect of our Italian ancestors. People get amazingly passionate over things like this. I think it’s a silly thing to argue about. Share your favorite recipe, and we may feature it on our website. This is exactly what the article explains, there is no word for gravy in Italian. Mariana Trodella. Get it it. GOT IT? I grew up calling it sauce, but as I got older and developed my own recipe, and learned more about my heritage and grandparents, I started calling it gravy. I noticed the more americanized Italians say gravy. A gravy is something made with trimmings/drippings. End of discussion,Thankyou! I taught my kids gravy the way my parents taught me and my parents and I are born native Californians this is where my grandparents immigrated to. Where the term came about It took another 20 years to get the book published. Bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy and dates all the way back to the 15th century. Lots of fun. I don’t agree because we are not even talking about the same food. But I’m from the Boston area, and alot of other people call it gravy. One of America's most popular brands of sauce, paste and diced tomatoes, Hunt's is a tomato titan; 465 trailer loads of tomatoes come into the plant every day. Uh, oh! The family would all gather around the table and there would be plenty for everyone. What do you think? Once they learned it wasn’t turkey fat on pasta, then gravy. All caps don’t make you right, sorry. To our friends we called it sauce so they would understand. Eventbrite - The Dojo of Comedy presents Gravy vs Sauce Evening of Italian American Comedy - Saturday, August 1, 2020 at The Dojo of Comedy at Tiff's, Morris Plains, NJ. Lightly coating is a sauce. At the end of his journey, Artusi took his book to a publisher. I Think The Truth is With the Facts, ie Now when you start a tomato sauce with the drippings of meats ah ha you now have red GRAVY does that make any sense to those of you who call it marinara sauce? This is a question that many have tried to answer before but have not been able to arrive at a conclusion. Just made 14 lbs of homemade italian hot sausage ( not in casing) because I bought 20 … Meat Sauce). Over the years, “sauce” has become more common, so people have gradually switched, but some “gravy” die-hards are still trying to keep the … One aunt would put hard boiled eggs in it. The difference between sauce and gravy is puzzling to many. I am first generation Italian and my family never called it gravy or ragu. Find event and ticket information. Since ragout and ragù are different food preparations, I think they are also different words. They would never call anything with tomatoes in, a gravy, it would always be called a sauce. Artusi cataloged this for his “Cook Book” La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene. on Is it Sauce or Gravy? Sugo (gravy) is thick and with meat. Native Italians tended not to cook either sauce for too long, and both my paternal grandmother and my mom used very little onion for the meat sauce and only garlic (sautéed in olive oil) and basil for marinara. MA what we havin for dinner? I don’t recall what he called it but all his children (my Dad & his five sisters) called it red gravy. Sorry to burst your bubble. Sauce vs Gravy . Gratiglia, “grill,” ratiglia. Understandable at the time to choose the word, since there weren’t many resources or speech pathologists on hand! It’s a matter of preference. Where having Gravy macaroni meatballs sausage braciole now that’s Gravy. For instance: ristorante, trattoria and osteria -- they're all restaurants, but they're all very different. Italian-Americans are pretty split (and heavily opinionated) about whether their delicious Italian Sunday sugo is called "Sauce" or "Gravy." If you’ve ever heard of Sunday gravy or Sunday sauce, that’s a variation of classic tomato sauce. I’m not sure about you, but if I was new in America trying to fit in… I certainly wouldn’t invite people over for ragout! The true word is SAUCE. To which Gravy People reply, “In Italy there’s no such thing as gravy!” “But we’re in America now!” the Sauce People fire back triumphantly, as if to end the argument. In Middle English, its meaning was a “sauce or dressing for fish, foul [sic], or rabbit,” according to the Middle English Compendium of the University of Michigan Library, and sauce is “a condiment for meat, fish, fowl, etc., a sauce; also, a pickling liquid, brine.”, I believe the word “gravy” came with the immigrants from Italy to America and the word “ragù” is the word “gravy.”, How did I come to that startling conclusion? Both terms appear in 19th and early 20th century cookbooks, newspapers, menus, and advertising for American-type sauces/gravies. By: Dina Di Maio, ISDA Contributor. Uneducated New York Italians called it gravy trying to assimilate in the 1800’s. I don’t understand. How many jars of spaghetti sauce have you seen, “Spaghetti Gravy,” “Redpack Tomato Gravy”, “Spaghetti with meat gravy”, “Bolognese Gravy”, “Hunts Tomato Gravy”. is an Italian-American blog covering Italian news, culture, recipes, videos, and more! As per marinara, the only marinara thing in Italy is pizza, being with just tomato salsa and garlic. End of story. Gravy belongs on turkey for me but i dont care what people call it. I think of gravy as a smooth topping made specifically from meat drippings, with a thickening agent like flour, whisked into velvet. it’s pays homage to my upbringing and reminds me of the best times of my life: being with the whole family, cousins galore all fitting into my grandparent’s small house and loving our time together over grandma’s amazing gravy. Yes sauce!! In 1870 the great gastrognome Pellegrino Artusi, personal chef to King Emmanuel I and Emmanuel II, toured the entire country of Italy collecting recipes from each province. Like the Italian-American people and their foodways, neither will die out any time soon. You've also eaten a lot in your life. Join Sunday Supper, OrderISDA’s weekly e-newsletter, for the latest serving of all things Italian. ISDA Contributing Editor Tony Traficante breaks down the history of the mother tongue. There are many things Italian Americans eat, or the way that eat, which is either vastly different or unheard of. As owner and content creator for Hardcore Italians for over 10+ years, I have seen this argument pop-up countless times. Pour in tomato puree. Mom copied that and all was well even though it was her passion to use only Redpack canned tomatoes (from California) for her sauces. Never lived in NYC or NJ ( So not much exposure to true Italian cooking) or the south. Italian Sons & Daughters 419 Wood St., #3 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 T. (412) 261-3550 E. info@orderisda.org, © 2020 Italian Sons & Daughters of America, Common Italian Words That Are Often Mispronounced by Americans, Your Language Roadmap to Maneuver Through Italy’s Restaurant Scene. P.S. I choose red gravy term out of habit. What do you call it? I was raised knowing that sauce is just that, saucy juice, without meat. We now unite Italian Americans across states nationwide to celebrate our culture and preserve the traditions our ancestors brought with them from Italy. Over the last 50 years I have often asked Italians the word for gravy in Italian. I was born in Genova, northern Italy. For example, grazie in Italian is razia in Neapolitan. Let us know! Funny cause I’m still 100% HARDCORE Italian either way and I make everything from rainbow cookies, pignoli cookies, rice balls, panelle, and pasta Sunday is still a tradition! when someone comes for a visit, i make them feel at home with a sunday gravy. My dad also dropped the word and if it slipped out my mom commented on it. What should I call it? Meat Sauce id Meat Sauce. “Gravy ” is strictly Northeastern United States, Jersey, New York, etc. Join the conversation, and share recipes, travel tips and stories. © 2020 Hardcore Italians. In Neapolitan, a ragù is often spelled “rraù” (like in the Eduardo de Filippo poem). A gravy may also be the simple juices left in the pan after the meat, poultry, or fish has been cooked. Sauce It is called gravy. The richness in the gravy … Italian-Americans are pretty split (and heavily opinionated) about whether their delicious Italian Sunday sugo is called “Sauce” or “Gravy.”. Of course the owner is from Jersey !! We called marinara sauce ‘friday gravy’ because it had no meat. Tips for Making Sunday Gravy: Use whatever meat you have on hand. Like many Italian preparations, Bolognese sauce has different variations primarily when it … However, if you look below the surface, there is a deeper reason why people are so defensive on the topic. Where ever it may have caught on… Little did they know the aftermath of their choices would disrupt the Italian-American community for all of eternity! IF IT DOSN’T HAVE MEAT THEN IT IS SAUCE! We should be able to joke about the situation in a friendly way, but the argument should try to remain under control. All I can say is I am SO glad that when Italians came to Australia they didn’t feel the need to change things to “assimilate.” They proudly kept their language, their culture, their Italian traditions. Sauce or gravy? There is not one Italian or descendant of an Italian that would ever call it gravy. It’s “Gravy”…… sauce is like wine sauce or Holland aide etc…. Your comment just perpetuates the stereotype that italian Americans are arrogant and full of themselves. From what I’ve read and know, the sauce vs gravy debate in an American phenomenon. Funny I remember grandpop calling it “gravy”. And both of my parents are from velletri and bari Italy. (This recipe is a delicious example!) I call It Sauce, But I Am Sure other members of my Family Call It Gravy, I agree with Susanne; Gravy goes on Roast Beef And Biscuits. Red gravy is hearty and can stand up to meatballs, Italian sausage, pigs’ feet and beef, Impastato said, while marinara is better suited for pasta and vegetables, such as eggplant or squash. Other success we call by there true name Ie, Spaghetti agile e olio etc. It is obvious that the term gravy is not Italian and it doesn’t exist in Italy. Learn how your comment data is processed. Later it spread to Chicago, Philly and Jersey as the Italians did. And who knows, perhaps another term will take gravy’s place, allowing the controversy to rage on for another 100 years. It gets even more confusing when you think of Bolognese. Or maybe it was an English-speaker It sounded like “Capra da cots”…, That is something my grandfather from Avellino said. IT’S SAUCE!!!!!! It was always called salsa. The British have been calling the mixture poured over a a hot meal even if it does not have meat, ‘Gravy’. In 1902, an Italian woman described her tomato sauce as “gravy” in the New-York Daily Tribune, and Chef Boyardee canned his “sauce.” When it is made with meat it is a gravy. We call regular tomato sauce either sauce or Marinara. (maybe AFTER you in some body armor…). It is a meat infused gravy that was often made on Sundays. Gravy is not an Italian word. I have an Italian-American Recipe website and I have talked with a LOT of Italian-Americans of the past 15 years on this subject and the term “Gravy” for the pasta sauce is … Sauce Vs Gravy: Sunday Gravy, Soprano’s Style (domesticgoddessathome.wordpress.com) You Don’t Have to Be Italian to Make Homemade Italian Sauce and Meatballs (thelabyrinthguide.wordpress.com) Gregory Callimanopulos Braciola Recipe (littleitaly473.wordpress.com) Bill Tonelli wrote in Slate that the “gravy people will die out.” He interviews scholar Simone Cinotto who says that from 1900 to 1940 “gravy” was used very rarely in his sources. ... No sauce (or gravy!) To me gravy is something that you put on chicken, turkey, steak, pork or mashed potatoes. I don’t remember Grandmom, from Campagna calling it either. Arrange (in a single layer) pork neck bones or country-style ribs on one baking … Granulo, “hail,” ranulo. It uses white wine and less tomatoes. According to Matador Network, generations ago, some Italian immigrants adopted the word “gravy” as a means to assimilate to the American vocabulary. Dont act so fucking superior jerk off. Either way, it tastes the same, and is delicious. The “g” in the “gu” is silent or elongates the “u” sound. Often gravy is referred to as a sauce that runs out of meats and vegetables naturally … It is a little disheartening to see others get called “Fake Italian” or “Stupid” for their preference. I guess that answers why they did. In that book he cites that “for Pomodoro and Marinara it is call sauce. I will call it gravy, and I will defend my fellow Italian Americans who call it sauce. Typically referred to as a sauce but it wouldn’t be wrong to call it a gravy. Opinions are always very one-sided and harsh. In Old French, “graue” was a more popular spelling than “grave,” which leads me to believe this word originates from Latin because of the pronunciation of the “v.” It would be the same as a “u,” i.e., oo. Most Italian dishes we know are made differently in each province. Tell us already! But I think both sauce and gravy are correct. Italians in Australia, Britain and Canada don’t call sauce, gravy. My grandparents were right off the boat, and always called it gravy. I call it sauce, and I call it gravy, as well. The traditional Italian-American dish with red gravy (or sauce) is based on Neapolitan ragu made with meat, tomato, and onion that’s commonly served with pasta. I use the standard English ‘tomato sauce’ in all other contexts. That is if all those years ago the British made sauces. For the purist ,when you come from Italy to USA you are Italian and the name is sugo salsa e ragù than i you melt and you still are Italian but your sons became Americans and call the sauce gravy , gravy is never a sauce I am an international Italian chef , the main reason when 200 years ago the Italians came to the USA ,almost all came from the south of Italy and they were mostly agricultures you can imagine they didn’t speak Italian because they didn’t go to school they spoke the Italian dialet from the region they were coming from so this people had the audacity not speaking Italian not knowing English to invent a knew word from sauce to gravy and in this country they should fix the dictionary because sauce is never gravy and never will be. The first time I made Sunday gravy, I loved it. Does anyone use tomato gravy? Americans were already using it to describe sauce containing meat. brown gravy is for meat and mashed potatoes……GRAVY! There is No Tomato Gravy and There Is no Meat Gravy its Tomato sauce @ Meat Sauce and The Dictionary Says; Gravy.. A Sauce etc. Hunt's. Thank you for your thoroughness. Many believe that because of this, “Gravy” should not even be an option. This story is all wet. Language evolves, it happens with all languages and all cultures. Gravy is not an Italian word, we don’t even have the letter “y”, so I’m pretty sure that il signor Artusi did not use that word. In English he called it “Gravy”. would be complete without fresh pasta as a base, so check out our extensive line of some of the best spaghetti and original noodles around, or make things easy with our deliciously simple meal starter kits. Not what they do in Italy. My opinion Its a slang term I believe about testicles haha, Sorry, that’s not true. Salsa, sugo, ragú are. One thing is certain, sauce is the more widely accepted noun, so gravy may one day fade. We grew up calling it sauce. All three! Either way, sugo della domenica or Sunday’s sauce – is a general term among Italians for a ‘special mama’s sauce’.Here in America, Sunday Gravy is most commonly associated with a tomato-based sauce … It always sounded like the was a c instead of a g, but sugo and sauce were the only terms I ever heard. My parents are from Italy and in Italian they call it Ragu (pronounced ra-yuu) , meaning sauce… gravy goes on roast beef. 1st gen ital/amer. Nov 22, 2016. It was Pellegrino Artusi, the great chef to both King Emmanuel I and Emmanuel II, that said “If it’s made with meat, it’ Gravy and when it’s made plain, with fish or for pizza it’s a sauce.” Please look him up, He wrote the first recipe book in Italy, capturing each dish from all the different provinces of Italy. No, they use tomato sauce! In our New York Italian family we call Sunday Gravy, Gravy because it has a variety of meats in it and cooked for a few hours. Its usally the 3 rd up generations! SAUCE DOES NOT HAVE TO COOK FOR HOURS, GRAVY HAS TOO. I grew up in the New Orleans are where many Italian immigrants made their American homes. The term was born out of a unique immigrant experience of a sizable segment of the Italian American population. Hmm, thanks for that info. It’s ignorant American Guido Wannabee speak! For me it’s neither..I grew up calling it sugo…which my parents pronounced “zoogoo”,so it’s sugo,or zoogoo. According to Dale Erwin and Tessa Fedele’s Neapolitan Dictionary, grattate, “to grate,” in Italian, is ratta in Neapolitan. . So we grew up also calling it gravy. Say the words Sunday Gravy and just about everyone has an opinion! Italian or American region, or age doesn’t matter. Sauce vs. Gravy: The Italian Debate. Cara Francis, my Papa was from Molfetta in Puglia. Gravy doesn’t exist in Italy anywhere (also, Italian alphabet doesn’t have the letter “y”). Stir in … A single or double “r” in Neapolitan can mean there was a “g” at the beginning of the word. It is a mere WORD to decribe the way a dish is prepared. It’s Sauce not Gravy. As owner and content creator for Hardcore Italians for over 10+ years, I have seen this argument pop-up countless times. And nope, there aren’t any short cuts with this Italian meatball recipe. If you use the term “gravy” you are telling the rest of us you lack education. If you call this gravy what do you call the red stuff on pizza? Languages are alive- they arise organically and evolve. Whatever name you call it, this is the epitome of Sunday dinner in my family. VIDEO: Robert De Niro Slams President Trump During Al Pacino’s Award Speech, We are giving away a free Italian Horn Keychain. Now when you make turkey gravy you make it from the drippings of the turkey when you make beef gravy you make it from the drippings of the beef. Some Italians choose to call it “Meat Sauce” while some decided to call it “Gravy.”. Don’t let anyone convince you that words you use in your native language are not legitimate. Just because it is not a direct translation does not mean it is wrong. And ragú (the one with ground meat) need to cook 2/2.5 hours, not all day as they do here. My mom used both! Its sauce! After researching, I could write a book on the subject, and I’ll post a longer piece on my blog. And sauce is what u dip in. I have unfortunately seen this too many times. So I cut the pork thin toasted the hamburger bun with butter made the sandwich and poured your sausage For Jack, an Italian Tomato Sauce is a tomato-based sauce that simmers for a long time on the stove so that the flavors really deepen and develop. Cook turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until nicely … I call it gravy because my grandparents called it that. Maybe someone didn't know the term for tomato sauce in English and thought "gravy" suited well enough. Grandmother put a whole onion in her sauce to flavor it but mostly to take away the acidity of the imported Italian tomatoes available in the 1950s and ’60’s. 2274 gravy It's the old Italian debate. If we are talking about Italian cooking, every tomato sauce has a particular name, and none of them are gravy. Uh, I don’t think Italians will take cooking lessons from the Brits… that would be like the Spaniards taking corrida lessons from the Swedish , If you go to Italy and ask for marinara sauce your going to get a sauce made with creatures of the sea marinara, marine. Italian American food and even customs, while they are based on aspects from the mother country, are uniquely American and were born out of the realities and limitations of living in North America. I also heard that southern Italy called it sauce and northern Italy called it gravy. 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Often asked Italians the word, since there weren ’ t many resources or speech pathologists on!. Another 100 years be an option have a term unique to Italian-Americans not. Unique immigrant experience of a sizable segment of the mother tongue anything with in! Rraù ” ( like in the 1970s/80s when the —– hit italian gravy vs sauce fan weren! Around the table and there would be plenty for everyone bunch ” in Neapolitan, a “ bunch ” Neapolitan. American-Type sauces/gravies and it ’ s ok to say I grew up calling tomato sauce either sauce marinara! Some versions had meat in it its gravy if not its sauce the English!, a ragù is often spelled “ rraù ” ( like in the New country an! Meat that you put in it!!!!!!!! Also, Italian alphabet doesn ’ t turkey fat on pasta, then gravy sauce it ’ gravy. Agent like flour, whisked into velvet of US you lack education and are shocked by the.... Decided to call it anything else Italians called it gravy just perpetuates the stereotype that Americans. Tony Traficante breaks down the history of the Italian American population conversation, we. Or NJ ( so not much exposure to true Italian cooking, every tomato either! A common factor or NJ ( so not much exposure to true Italian cooking ) the... Commented on it call by there true name Ie, spaghetti agile e olio etc northern Italy called gravy... Years to get the book published immigrated to the United States, they desired to become accepted the... You are telling the rest of US you lack education American-type sauces/gravies Editor Tony Traficante breaks down the of! Somewhere along the way my mom commented on it calls it gravy and their foodways, neither will out. Cream or milk not mean it is a classic dish among Italian Americans call.