Gravy

Gravy is a tasty sauce.

It is made from juices from meat or vegetables. People often add flour to make it thick.

You can pour it on mashed potatoes or meat. In Canada, it is part of a meal called poutine. Poutine has fries, cheese, and gravy. Some people even eat gravy with biscuits for breakfast. It is a fun sauce to enjoy at dinner.

Gravy is a tasty sauce. It is made from juices. These juices come from meat or vegetables during cooking.

People often add thickeners like flour to make it thick. Some people use a roux. A roux is a mix of fat and flour.

There are many kinds of gravy. Brown gravy comes from roasted meat. Cream gravy is white and uses milk. It is popular in the Southern United States. People often eat it with biscuits for breakfast.

In Canada, gravy is part of a meal called poutine. Poutine has fries, cheese curds, and brown sauce. It started in Quebec in the 1950s.

In some places, gravy is very special. In North Africa, people eat dishes with lots of gravy. They use bread to scoop up the meat and vegetables. In India, the liquid in a curry is called gravy. You can even buy instant gravy. This is a powder that you mix with water.

Gravy is a savory sauce that brings many meals together. It is made from the juices that meat or vegetables release while cooking. To give it a nice texture, cooks often add thickeners. These can be simple things like flour or cornstarch. Some people use a roux, which is a mix of fat and flour. You might even see gravy colored with salt and caramel. It adds a rich look and flavor to many different foods.

There are many ways to make different kinds of gravy. Brown gravy uses drippings from roasted meat or fowl. Cooks simmer these drippings with onions or vegetables on a stove. For white gravy, also called cream gravy, people use milk or cream. This version often uses fats from sausage or bacon. It is a very popular choice in the Southern United States. You might find it served with fried chicken or chicken-fried steak.

People have been enjoying gravy for a very long time. One of the earliest mentions is in a 14th-century English recipe book. This book is called The Forme of Cury. The word gravy comes from an Old French word for meat or fish bouillon. In old French manuscripts, it was written as "gravé" or "grané." Some think this word is linked to the word for grain. This shows how long people have used meat sauces in cooking.

Different parts of the world have their own special gravy traditions. In Canada, poutine is a very famous meal from rural Québec. It was created in the 1950s and uses fries, cheese curds, and brown sauce. In the Southern United States, people eat biscuits and gravy for breakfast. This style started in Southern Appalachia during the late 1800s. It uses affordable ingredients like sausage, flour, butter, and milk. Even instant gravy has a history, starting with the Bisto company in 1908.

Gravy connects many different cultures through the joy of eating. In India, the liquid part of a thick curry is called gravy. In the Maghreb region, people use bread to scoop up meat and vegetable gravies. This includes dishes like tajine in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, gravy is a key part of a Sunday roast. It might be served with beef, pork, chicken, or lamb. Whether it is a simple sauce or a complex curry, gravy makes food feel complete.

Gravy is a savory sauce used to enhance many different meals. It is primarily made from the natural juices of meats or vegetables. These juices run out of the food while it is cooking. To achieve a specific texture, cooks often add various thickening agents. Common thickeners include wheat flour or cornstarch. Some cooks use a roux, which is a mixture of fat and flour. This process creates a smooth and rich consistency for the sauce.

The creation of gravy involves several specific culinary steps. For brown gravy, cooks use the drippings from roasted meat or fowl. These drippings are cooked on a stovetop at high heat. Often, onions or other vegetables are added to the pan. The cook then adds a thin mixture of water and a thickener. To change the color or flavor, people use gravy salt. This is a mix of salt and caramel food coloring. Some also use gravy browning, which is gravy salt dissolved in water.

There are many distinct types of gravy used in various cuisines. Cream gravy, also called white gravy or sawmill gravy, is a bechamel sauce. It uses fats from meat, like sausage or bacon, combined with flour to make a roux. Milk or cream is then added to create the liquid base. Egg gravy is another variety that uses meat drippings and a roux. A well-beaten egg is whisked into the boiling liquid. This causes the egg to cook immediately into small fragments. Other types include onion gravy, mushroom gravy, and giblet gravy.

The history of gravy stretches back hundreds of years. One of the earliest records is in a 14th-century English book. This recipe book is titled The Forme of Cury. The word itself comes from the Old French word for meat or fish bouillon. In 14th-century French manuscripts, it appeared as "gravé" or "grané." Some suggest "grané" is associated with the word grain. This connects the concept of grain to culinary meat sauces. Even the concept of instant gravy has a long history. The British company Bisto developed the first instant powder in 1908.

Gravy holds great significance in many regional food cultures. In the Southern United States, biscuits and gravy is a popular breakfast. This tradition began in Southern Appalachia during the late 1800s. It used affordable ingredients like sausage, flour, butter, and milk. In Canada, poutine is an iconic meal from rural Québec. This dish emerged in the 1950s and uses three main parts. It combines French fries, cheese curds, and a salty brown sauce. This sauce is made from a mix of beef and chicken stock.

Specific regional variations offer unique ways to experience these sauces. Red-eye gravy is a staple of Southern United States cuisine. It is made from fried ham drippings deglazed with coffee. This version uses no thickening agent at all. In New Orleans, red gravy can refer to a simple tomato sauce. In some Italian-American communities, it is a complex, slow-cooked tomato sauce. In India, the term gravy describes the thickened liquid in a curry. Maghreb cuisine in North Africa also relies heavily on gravies. In Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, dishes like tajine use meat and vegetable gravies.

Gravy connects to broader culinary systems and global traditions. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is essential for a Sunday roast. This meal often includes beef, pork, chicken, or lamb. People in Commonwealth countries like Australia and New Zealand also use the term. In these places, gravy refers specifically to meat-based sauces. It does not include other types of thickened sauces. In the Maghreb, people eat gravy with bread. They use the bread to scoop up the meat and vegetables. This shows how a single ingredient can define different eating styles.