Italian sauce or GRAVY???

[Rokinronda]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

[ejp52]

Sauce,gravy is for roast beef.:icon_hungry:

[Blondie]

We saucers are winning...the gravy boaters are home making gravy (for the roast beef)

[Just Susan]

With not an ounce of Italian in me anywhere, me and mine call it sauce. Gravy has no tomatoes.:icon_hungry: But if you're making it Rhonda, I will eat it whatever it is called.

[chelsea24]

I grew up in a strong Italian atmosphere and it was definitely called gravy!
Yummmmmm! Great for bread dipping right out of the pot! :icon_hungry:


p.s. Rhonda! Your avatar is hysterical! :laugh:

[Rokinronda]

I should have specified.....only italians can answer, now all the anglo-saxon sauciers should be disqualified!!! LOL
Time to make the gravy!!

[Blondie]

hey...I can spell Italy, and I have some Italian friends...that should count. :pepper2:

[TallerTrees]

It's sauce. I had never heard the term "gravy" until an Amerigani (as my grandmother pronounced it) told me that.

I spent time in Italy and never did I hear the term "gravy." So there you have it -- SAUCE :) enjoy

[Shirleevee]

All Italian and Italian Americans in Staten Island and Brooklyn call it, Gravy".

My family cruised here on the boat.........lol

[Shirleevee]

http://www.recipezaar.com/Sunday-Gravy-Real-Italian-Spaghetti-Sauceand-Meatballs-73937

http://almostitalian.com/sunday-gravy/

Very interesting..........my family docked in Little Italy in NYC........read above.

[Rokinronda]

Shirl!!!! Thanks for some facts! mangia!!!!:highfive::thumbup::throwtomatoes::duck:

[KathieI]

Sorry guys, 100% Bronx-born Italian and ITS CALLED:

'GRAVY'

And,...... Its not Pasta, its
MACARONI

[JohnnyM]

Hey Rokin, I grew up in the Bronx, I am 110% Sicilian and the word used by my Grandmother and Grandfather who were from Sicily was GRAVY. :icon_wink:;)

[ConeyIsBabe]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

I don't care what it's called............. I just want your 100% Italian Grandmother's recipe ! please :icon_hungry::icon_hungry:

[KathieI]

OK, I have 4 people visiting at my house right now, and all 4 vote for "GRAVY"...... The definitive description is:

Gravy is made with meat
Sauce is made without meat......

i.e., Marinara Sauce vs. Gravy with meat.... got it...

[Donna]

OK.Another Italian....Brooklyn too..

My grandparents were from Palermo, and Messina..They called it sauce..I never heard gravy till we had roast beef, that was with gravy..

Meatballs in the sauce, roast beef in the gravy!
All my friends from Brooklyn were also Italian, they too called it sauce!


Some peeps in my family like cousins, aunts, etc called it gravy! Who knows..All I know is I am getting hungry!

No pasta only macaroni!!

[retiredguy]

Me and my entire family generations on both sides are Italian (Naples/Capri). It's SAUCE.

P.S. Being in Italian atmosphere does not count. Capisce?

[TallerTrees]

Sorry guys, 100% Bronx-born Italian and ITS CALLED:

'GRAVY'

And,...... Its not Pasta, its
MACARONI



Not in my house and those of my ancestors. Sauce with grave is called Bolognese (meat sauce).

SAUCE S A U C E SAUCE S A U C E :)

[TallerTrees]

Not in my house and those of my ancestors. Sauce with grave is called Bolognese (meat sauce).

SAUCE S A U C E SAUCE S A U C E :)
And, YES pasta is MACARONI.

[F16 1UB]

Call it what you want. Now y'all made me hungry. LETS EAT!!!!

[Boomer]

Cincinnati, all my life. Around here, gravy is for meat. Sauce is for spaghetti. And then there's biscuits and gravy. That's white gravy.

Boomer

[Pookirgirl]

I always called it sauce until I met my husband's family. They are of Italian descent. My Mother in law called it gravy. So.. we now call it GRAVY!!!! I only refer to it as sauce if I am speaking to someone I am not familiar with. Then I will say spaghetti sauce or pasta and gravy.

[Boomer]

Cincinnati, all my life. Around here, gravy is for meat. Sauce is for spaghetti. And then there's biscuits and gravy. That's white gravy.

Boomer

Whoops! Was I allowed to vote? I am not Italian.

But I always wanted to be.

The best food and the best art and the best music in the whole world.

A long time ago, when I went away to school, I did have an Italian boyfriend from Cleveland. Does that count?

I don't think we ever talked about gravy or sauce. I don't remember if we ever even talked. I just remember that before he took me to the movies, we had to go uptown where he would find some dumb freshman to play pool with, and then we would have the money to go out. That's really all I remember about him.

Heck, he probably lives in The Villages........

DO NOT PLAY POOL WITH HIM!

I digress.

Boomer

[Just Susan]

http://www.recipezaar.com/Sunday-Gravy-Real-Italian-Spaghetti-Sauceand-Meatballs-73937

http://almostitalian.com/sunday-gravy/

Very interesting..........my family docked in Little Italy in NYC........read above.

Shirleevee, thank you for the info, the recipes and for making me sooooo hungry, I can hardly make it to the kitchen to cook. Sure wish I had an Italian Mama out there cooking for me right now.

[Rokinronda]

LOL, We had salad and burgers tonight

[KathieI]

Sure wish I had an Italian Mama out there cooking for me right now.

Susan, how about an older Italian sister, would that do?? I'm here for you!!! Get your butt down here and I'll cook you some lasagna, with meatballs and gravy!!! ;)

[Shirleevee]

Kathie,

Its Sunday gravy with meatballs, cotina (not anymore), and everything else I can't seem to spell right now. It's Marinara SAUCE, crab SAUCE, and Scungelli SAUCE..........and of course a few others, i.e., Putanesca SAUCE........oh, this is such FUN!!! :pepper2:

[Shirleevee]

http://www.randyrants.com/

Yes girls, it is Macaroni, not pasta. I cringe when my granddaughter (the chefs daughter), wants pasta.............

[Shirleevee]

http://www.randyrants.com/2005/02/its_gravy_dammi.html


Sorry I sent the incorrect link in my prior post

[chelsea24]

Yummmm! I already voted for gravy, but I'm with F16 on this. It's making me hungry! I think the meat in it does make it gravy Shirl. But can also be an Urban thing, or I wonder if it's from different parts of Italy. At any rate, it's alllllllllllllll good! :icon_hungry:

Susan, don't listen to Kathie! I've been waiting for months for that famous lasagna. Although, you might have more luck than I have had in getting some!;)

[renielarson]

In my family, gravy is only made with meat drippings, flour, milk and/or water. It's served over mashed potatoes or, my favorite, over chicken fried steak (making the gravy from the beef drippings). It's also used as a thickener and flavor for sheperd's pie or chicken pot pie only if it's flavored with the meat used in the dish. I think of sausage gravy and biscuits too...YUM!

To me, gravy is made by thickening meat juices. Sauces are all others...especially tomato based.

I don't really care what we call it...gravy or sauce. I love both!

[JohnnyM]

Read the can:
ALL NATURAL SICILIAN TOMATO SAUCE = Gravy!

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/JohnnyHadleyII/gravy.jpg

[Russ_Boston]

From the dictionary:

Gravy - the fat and juices that drip from cooking meat, often thickened, seasoned, flavored, etc

Therefore if it you start it with the fat from the cooking meat then it's gravy. If it is simply tomato marinara then it is sauce.


But I'm from RI Italian so we ALWAYS make it with meat and it is always called GRAVY!

[barb1191]

I guess it's a geographical thingy depending upon where you and your ancestors hail from it's sauce or gravy.

It's kinda a thingy like....."Ont" or "Ant" or Ontie Bessie or Antie Bessie, huh?

Well, we in Boston say Ahnt like cahn't. Then we also say Havad Squaya.

Oops, I think I digressed; did I digress Boomer? [Boomer sez I digressed....big time.]

ciao......b

[Russ_Boston]

From a strictly culinary point - Gravy is a form of sauce. It is a type of sauce that is started from meat drippings and thickened. So it may be geographical as to what people say but technically it is gravy if made from meat.

But you want catch me calling it gravy in a restaurant - they look at you funny!:laugh:

[Boomer]

I guess it's a geographical thingy depending upon where you and your ancestors hail from it's sauce or gravy.

It's kinda a thingy like....."Ont" or "Ant" or Ontie Bessie or Antie Bessie, huh?

Well, we in Boston say Ahnt like cahn't. Then we also say Havad Squaya.

Oops, I think I digressed; did I digress Boomer? [Boomer sez I digressed....big time.]

ciao......b



Yes, Barb, you did digress. But that's OK. At least you did not start talking about some old boyfriend right in the middle of "The Village Kitchen" thread.

I probably need to stay out of the kitchen. That's where my computer is, you know.

Anyway, you can digress along with me any old time. I like your accent. If you heard me talk, you would probably think that I sound just a little bit southern. (That's what those guys from Cleveland used to tell me.) -- Buckeye accents will vary.

Oh my. I am digressing again. I am supposed to be in here cleaning up the kitchen. Late supper tonight.

Boomer

[Whalen]

OK this is my take.
Grew up in South Brooklyn, in an Italian neighborhood.
Marinara is sauce, tomatos, garlic, herbs cook 30 - 45 minutes.
Gravy, ummm, Sunday, tomatos, through a Mouli food mill, paste, meatballs, sausage, some form of pork, ribs, neck bones, beef braciola (Spell?)
start cooking in the morning had dinner after Mass, usually about 2.
And nobody ate pasta, it was macaroni.
:icon_hungry:

Have a local restaurant that does Grandma's Sunday Gravy on sunday and serves it family style. :icon_hungry:

[TallerTrees]

Sicilians do their sauce lumpy or puree. Yuk. Northern Italians have sauce and it is smooth unless marinara style, which is NOT puree.

Just a few of the finer points you might like to know :) Don't ask for recipes in my house. It's all done without measures.

[Donna]

Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe courtesy Mario Batali

Show: Molto Mario Episode: Basic Pasta Sauces

Mario calls it sauce too...

[Yoda]

iT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW iTALIAN YOU ARE. GRAVY!!:pepper2:

[Donna]

100% Italian is as Italian as they come..SAUCE!

[scottke]

My Italian husband says gravy and I'm Irish and I say sauce - now who is right:shrug:

[Bryan]

You say "potato", someone else (not me) says "patato" - yada, yada, yada. If it tastes good, eat it!

On that intellectual note, I will say I always thought of "gravy" as brown stuff like on "potatoes and gravy" or "roast beef and gravy" and I always associated "sauce" with Italian (i.e. Marianna Sauce) and French cooking.

[chelsea24]

Talked to a friend of mine last night and most of her family is from Italy, some still live there -- It seems like this is a debate that even goes on in Italy and quite heated! My understanding is that it's a Regional thing. :shrug:

[Halle]

:icon_hungry:

We lived in Sicily for three years just outside of Catania, a small town called Motta St. Anastasia and all the locals called it sauce. Of course the Italians from the mainland and the Sicilians couldn't even understand each other half the time because of the local dialect, so my bet is that it is regional. If you ever visit Sicily go into one of the local Bars and order a ravioli you will be very surprised at what you get. Sure would love a cannoli right now.

:icon_hungry:

[gettin out]

WELL IT'S SAUCE IN THIS ITALIAN HOUSE, STILL IN JERSEY, THE POTS ON THE STOVE NOW & THE SNOW COMING DOWN,AS WE 'SPEAK".:icon_hungry:

[Rokinronda]

I enjoyed all the responses and wanted to say thanks for all the input!!!
MANGIA!! :icon_hungry:

[jtdraig]

Italian families with strong Italian tradition generally use the term "gravy" to refer to what the rest of us call sauce. I grew up in a heavily Italian area in New York and the term "gravy" wasn't unusual. I hadn't heard the term for many years until we lived next to an Italian family who maintained their traditions in Tucson..they called it gravy. Then, not until I retired, when a family here on our street who are Italian and maintain tradition call it "gravy". At the end of the day, who cares....to each his or her own. :beer3:

[aln]

OKAYYYYY~~
I think we beat that to death with a SAUSAGE......... or do you call it a BOMBER?
:icon_hungry:

[Helene2008]

I think my Irish husband started this argument at the TOTV luncheon....he calls it gravy. I on the other hand (whose mother was born in Rome, Italy and father born in Caserta, Italy) call it sauce. But at least we all agree....it's macaroni not pasta....;)

[tony]

Well, I don't know, Helene.

My wife made sauce, meatballs, sausage and pork for Christmas dinner.

My son, grandson and I made pasta. We just happened to cut it into macaroni.

My grandmother, though, always called it "ma-ca-DON." And we all understood her.

We did have a difficult time with her pronunciation around Christmas. She would talk about "sundy clothes." I was older when I realized nobody else pronounced Santa Claus like that.
:laugh:

[billy2fish]

My poor misguided wife calls it sauce,she thinks because her mother and father were right because they were born in Italy. All my Italian friends and family call it gravy as do most Italians from the lower parts of New York almost all of New Jersey and almost most of New England. If it's got meatballs sausage pork pepperoni IT'S GRAVY the Italians who call it sauce make their gravy from ketchup sweet basil and oregano.poor misguided souls.

:laugh::cus::cus::cus::

[Helene2008]

I think my husband has been drinking the sauce...:pepper2::pepper2:

[angel222]

In Long Island New York its definitely called gravy by all Italian Americans I've ever known...I'm not Italian myself but have been cooking Italian since I was married at 21....to me, the best thing is that it doesn't matter what you call it as long as it tastes great! Charlene:icon_hungry:

[Whalen]

http://italianfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa060200.htm

This about says it all, sauce/gravy, whatever you call it, it's still one of my all time favorite foods.
Especially if made my someone's Grandmother!
:icon_hungry:

[redwitch]

I've lived in Joisey. I've lived on the Island. Heck, I've even lived in Rome. I've been in many Italian homes. The first I ever heard spaghetti/tomato sauce called gravy was here. However, I think I'll go with whalen's article. From now on, I make ragu, not sauce.

[njgranny]

They call it gravy there.

[KathieI]

They call it gravy there.

NJG.... I always knew I liked you!!!!:coolsmiley:but are you from New Jersey or Philly??? Doesn't matter, you call it gravy and that's all that counts.... Good choice.

[Rokinronda]

njg.... I always knew i liked you!!!!:coolsmiley:but are you from new jersey or philly??? Doesn't matter, you call it gravy and that's all that counts.... Good choice.

gravy!! Yes!

[KathieI]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/dazzlejunction/greetings/compliments/comp_2-2.gif (http://www.dazzlejunction.com/)

Ronda, YES!!!!
(Aren't you all sorry I learned how to dazzle....)

[Rokinronda]

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z92/dazzlej2/greetings/returning-love/2ccrp90.gif (http://www.dazzlejunction.com/)

[KathieI]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/dazzlejunction/greetings/compliments/comp_253.gif (http://www.dazzlejunction.com/)

This one was designed just for you!!!

[4 Siamese]

My Italian Grandmother from Italy made GRAVY, My mother made GRAVY and I make GRAVY. I thought I was the only one in the Villages who calls
Sauce, Gravy. Thank you all.

[ejp52]

SAUCE goes on pasta,gravy goes on roast beef. :beer3:

[kittylecroix]

I'm not Italian, but I never heard sauce referred to as gravy until I watched "The Sopranos".

[patfla06]

Being of English/Irish descent I go with sauce.
But being originally from NY know why you call
it gravy!

[yobeano]

Pass the GRAVY and MACARONI.

[graciegirl]

hey...I can spell Italy, and I have some Italian friends...that should count. :pepper2:

It is so great to see this face again on TOTV! Hey Blondie! How ya doin'??

[chuckinca]

gg:

for info -

she posted that last january.

(I'm married to a blond former flowerchild and sorta understand where you are coming from) (Great game today between Cincy and Pitt! 45 - 44 due to a missed point after, WOW).

.

[graciegirl]

gg:

for info -

she posted that last january.

(I'm married to a blond former flowerchild and sorta understand where you are coming from) (Great game today between Cincy and Pitt! 45 - 44 due to a missed point after, WOW).

.

Wasn't that something? All that snow too, more fun watching it on TV and we were safely snuggly by the fire!

And Chuck...I did know it was a year old. I was trying to get Blondie to post. She is such a great gal!

[jjb078]

This Brooklyn born called it sauce never heard of gravy until I met the 3rd generation of my fellow new yawkers

[nkrifats]

I never heard sauce called Gravy until I moved to RI.

[RichieLion]

Like others of Italian descent from NYC on this tread it was always macaroni with gravy in my house. It simmered almost all day with meatballs, sausage, pork etc. in it and that made the "sauce" gravy.

[Russ_Boston]

It's not often I agree with a New Yorka.

[EdV]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??
GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

By the way, does anyone know what became of Ronda? She had over 1700 posts and was quite active in TOTV when I joined over a year ago. But she hasn't posted since Feb 09. Just curious.

[gabby]

By the way, does anyone know what became of Ronda? She had over 1700 posts and was quite active in TOTV when I joined over a year ago. But she hasn't posted since Feb 09. Just curious. good question, anyone?

[zcaveman]

She moved to another Villages site.

[zcaveman]

The first time I heard sauce called gravy was when I moved to NJ and visited a couple of Italian friends.

[Russ_Boston]

By the way, does anyone know what became of Ronda? She had over 1700 posts and was quite active in TOTV when I joined over a year ago. But she hasn't posted since Feb 09. Just curious.

She still lives in TV - just not on this site.

[Shirleevee]

Like others of Italian descent from NYC on this tread it was always macaroni with gravy in my house. It simmered almost all day with meatballs, sausage, pork etc. in it and that made the "sauce" gravy.

This second generation NYC, Brooklyn, Staten Island Italian calls it, "gravy"!

[Kelsie52]

This Irish guy who by the way is married to a Brooklyn born Italian was taught from day one by the inlaws --Sauce ---on Sunday --

Hey lets go to dinner at the restaurent in the Villages called "Red Gravy":1rotfl:

:bowdown:hope my wife does not read this -----I am not allowed to have any other sauce but hers !!

[SABRMnLgs]

Gravy is something you put on beef, brisket and potatoes. Or if'n you're a Southerner "Biscuits and Gravy" Even being from up North, I never heard it called "Biscuits and sauce".

[rhondac]

So many new members here.....join in!! ....platinum member.. http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z92/dazzlej2/greetings/returning-love/2ccrp90.gif (http://www.dazzlejunction.com/)

[Frank7]

I my house Mom made a beautiful sauce with all the fixens, she served the pasta covered with it and on the table was a gravy pitcher and we said (please pass the gravy). So everybody is right.

[applesoffh]

This Italian-American makes sauce...her mom makes sauce and her nonnas made sauce. Gravy is for meat.

Grandparents from Menfi/Ribera/Palermo - 100% Sicilian...to Brooklyn.

Also - macaroni...never pasta

[Yankee Quilter]

Both Joe and I grew up in Italian homes ... Sauce! Never heard of gravy on pasta until the Sopranos!:smiley:

[Shirleevee]

gravy

[skyguy79]

I'm 100% Italian with all grandparents having come here from Italy. As I read through the posts in this thread, I found statements that I found amusing; statements that indicate what they think justifying the usage of the term they think is correct. The most glaring and humorous was one that read something like... It's gravy because it's on the label of a jar. I won't say what I think of that reasoning. I've even read in an internet article where a chef explained the difference by stating that if the pasta is wet and not throughly drained, it's called sauce because the gravy was diluted. But if it's put on a drained bed of spaghetti, pasta or whatever you wanna call it, it's gravy. Another bright explanation!

Now is there really a correct term? Well basically you can call it whatever you want. Right or wrong, nobody's gonna stop you from using the term and neither is really 100% correct. The real issue is what is really the more appropriate term? One simple test is to do a Google search on the exact terms and see just how many hits you get on each. I did just that and here are the results:

"Spaghetti Gravy: 22,700 hits
"Spaghetti Sauce: 4,550,000 hits
With Sauce having 200 times more hits than Gravy, I think there is a clear winner and that it's by far the more "appropriate" term to use if not the "proper" term. Supporting that is the fact that if you check the definition of both terms, you'll find out that gravy is a form of sauce while there is no mention of sauce being a form of gravy.

I have never ever heard of using the name gravy for topping spaghetti or pasta by any member of my now departed past generations. In fact I don't remember when I even heard it used for spaghetti or pasta for the first time, but it wasn't in my youth. Gravy was as others have indicated a sauce to use on meats, poultry, stuffing, mashed potatoes etc., but not for topping spaghetti or pasta. Matter of fact my familia frequently used the Italian term of Sugo (pronounced Zugou) for spaghetti sauce which technically covers both gravy and sauce as well as juice and essence. We even called the end cuts of the Italian bread "Cula" (pronounced Gulah or Goolou) meaning "A**" in Italian. The Cula was my favorite, but I'm not gonna tell you what I did with it! :p

[Gerald]

Please invite me over to try either. It is not what you call it but what it tastes like. So you need an expert to judge. I have lots of free days to come over for a sample. Please no thank you needed. Pasta anyone.

[EdV]

OK, then answer this. What do the labels on the jars in the supermarket say?

[skyguy79]

OK, then answer this. What do the labels on the jars in the supermarket say?They say nothing. Every time I try striking up a casual conversation with a jar label, they clam up! http://www.cool-smileys.com/images/clam.gif

[senior citizen]

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[EdV]

They say nothing. Every time I try striking up a casual conversation with a jar label, they clam up! http://www.cool-smileys.com/images/clam.gif

They don't speak English, I would think you'd know that.:mmmm:

[mac9]

Yo, EdVin, if it comes in a jar from the supermarket, it's not worth the discussion!:22yikes::censored:

[skyguy79]

They don't speak English, I would think you'd know that.:mmmm:Certo che lo so che non parlano inglese, non parlano nessuna lingua, le etichette non parlano periodo! Come ho affermato che solo la bocca chiusa! http://discuss.itacumens.com/Smileys/classic/hungry.gif

[skyguy79]

I say gravy would be the way the Italian immigrants said it.

Not all immigrants and a minority of them would probably not say gravy. Gravy may have been the way your immigrant relatives said it, but mine said it was sauce and they came from south Italy, specfically Morolo, IT and that's more than an hour south-east of Rome! As I indicated previously... Gravy 22,700 - Sauce 4,550,000 and that seals it for me. Don't agree with that, take it up with Google. That's were the figures came from!

[EdV]

Yo, EdVin, if it comes in a jar from the supermarket, it's not worth the discussion!:22yikes::censored:

Sorry but it all comes from jars and cans of ingredients purchased at the supermarket no matter how you spice it up.

[Midge538]

"Ehhhhhhh, whatsa da matter wit you no nuthins! Ifin it comes in da jar from da store its ah sauce, ifin my Noona is makin it in her big pot .. wit da meatballs and salsccia its da 'gravy!"

[mac9]

Sorry EdVin, but you are wrong. My GRAVY comes from fresh Roma tomatoes, fresh onions, fresh garlic, freshly grated Romano Peccorino, and a variety of fresh spices. Nothing in my GRAVY comes from a can, although the splash of chianti does come from a bottle!

[prendymom]

[QUOTE=Rokinronda;183411]My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!!

Mother in law from South Philly always had a pot of GRAVY/meatballs, sausage & pork chunks & a loaf of GOOD Italian Bread from 9th aka Italian Market!
Joyce :D

[rubicon]

My maternal and paternal grandparent emigrated from the Campania (Napoli) area. In my American-Italian family you were required to debate politics and religion. However any disucssion of food,( recipes) could get you in real trouble and the eleven pages enclosed herein are testimony to that caveat.

You will find that people reared in New York City, New Jersey and Boston area are more apt to call sauce gravy red gravy and brown gravy.
I never heard sauce called gravy until I was well in my 30's
I must be right because that restaraunt in Lake Sumter landing is not called Red Gravy, its called Red Sauce....that's my story and I am sticking to it.

[mac9]

Have you ever eaten that tasteless and flavorless sauce that is served at that restaurant? It deserves to be called sauce.

[skyguy79]

I must be right because that restaraunt in Lake Sumter landing is not called Red Gravy, its called Red Sauce....that's my story and I am sticking to it.Maybe those who call it gravy aught to petition Red Sauce to change their name to Red Gravy! :1rotfl:

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[skyguy79]

I hear you....

Truthfully, I don't really care what anyone calls it, as long as they prepare it properly. But I distinctly remember all of my dad's family, including himself and my mom calling it GRAVY. Yes, it had all the meats in it.

Marinara was called sauce. Do you recall also the garlic and olive oil???
Over plain linguini?

I really doubt if anyone still makes Sunday "Gravy" with the meatballs, sausage, bracciole, pork spareribs, etc. in it.

Laurenzana Potenza Basilicata was further south than your ancestral village.
It was once called the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.....perhaps it was a Sicilian thing after all. It's no doubt a regional thing. All of the people we knew in New York City, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey called it "gravy". These people are LONG DECEASED.

Myself and my children call it pasta sauce.

But they called it GRAVY. Scouts Honor.I really don't disagree with you. I reacted to how you worded what I quoted in that it made it sound like you were emphatically saying that gravy was what it should be called. This post now tells me how you said it didn't match what you meant.

Although I feel that sauce is the better terminology and the Google search verified that for me, I can see what I think is why gravy is used. As I previously stated sugo is the Italian word for it, but in translation both sauce and gravy are proper translations. IMHO, the different usages today stems from how individual families initially made the transitioned of the word sugo to English. You could say that one term is good to go and the other is even better, but either way is yummy!

I'm not really a big fan of linguine. I generally prefer a thinner or flatter form of the spaghetti, but in truth any type will pretty much do for me. Pasta is quite a complex subject and confusing to the average Joe... and that includes me! All you have to do is look at the Pasta Chart you find at The Different Types of Pasta: What Kind is on my Plate? (http://www.charmingitaly.com/different-types-of-pasta/) and the confusion becomes evident. I only bring this up because you mentioned garlic & olive oil on linguine. I love that but perfer it with anchovies added and on angel hair pasta. Just had an order of it from Tasconi's about a week ago. It was good but not exactly how I like it.

Mangiare e godere!

[REDCART]

I hear you....

Basilicata...was once called the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.....!

As you know the region of Basilicata has two provinces: Potenza and Matera. Is that where the reference "Kingdom of two Sicilies" comes from? I spent a month with an uncle in Matera. Poor and dry is what I remember. Yes they made fresh macaroni every day but no clue whether they called it gravy or sauce. My grandparents both immigrants always made "gravy" on Sundays. Of course, we always knew about sauce but that's what came in a jar. In conversation if we didn't mean red gravy, we'd say brown gravy to distinguish the two.

George

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[EdV]

Sorry EdVin, but you are wrong. My GRAVY comes from fresh Roma tomatoes, fresh onions, fresh garlic, freshly grated Romano Peccorino, and a variety of fresh spices. Nothing in my GRAVY comes from a can, although the splash of chianti does come from a bottle!

The fact that you enjoy boiling and peeling 35 Roma tomatoes for your marinara doesn’t make me wrong. This is The Villages and it is rumored that a lot of the ovens around here have never even been started. The majority of marinara recipes call for the tomato ingredient to come from a can or jar. But if you are that particular about your Italian food, you probably also make your own pasta instead of from the box.

If so then, “Godere la vostra cucina raffinata”.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

Thank you. I agree it is all yummy....especially so if home made.
Rare restaurant that gets it right. I also think I said in earlier posts that I do understand the difference as today we have always called it sauce.
But I was referring to the OLDTIMERS in my dad's family who called it GRAVY.
I was a kid when they all died.

A little levity....my humble opinion is that on Sunday it was gravy with all the meats in it (recipe which I just sent) but then by midweek it might have become just sauce.........

My Dad became more Americanized after he moved to New Jersey and we were born........irregardless of what the New York gang called it, but even in the 50's I recall him using the term gravy.. I don't quibble over words; as I call it sauce myself. But my immigrants did call it gravy. That's what I meant.

Next door to us, growing up in Jersey, was a true blue Italian father born in Italy and his wife with 5 big sons and one daughter, my little girlfriend. That mom made huge pots of SUNDAY GRAVY.......and they ate pasta or macaroni of different shapes and sizes all week long.......as I recall waiting for her to finish her supper......(while sitting on her back screened in porch)........

My Ukrainian mom and Italian dad cooked a variety of food and we did not eat the SUNDAY SAUCE all week long............but that family did.......I'm sure the meat became very tender as I do recall the leftovers were always even better.

My little friend had to go to the butcher for her mom and I would tag along..........she also had to sweep up all the crumbs those big brothers and father got on the floor..........we were a much smaller family and my mom was not Italian. Our neighborhood was German and Irish, Polish and Italian.
However in doing the Italian genealogy..........I can see where perhaps they got regional cooking ideas from Sicily as everyone assimilated into American culture. I have to close down as I am getting hungry............in the winter I love to make all the Italian soups..........those peasants were ahead of their time as nowadays these soups I was raised on, lentil, pasta fagioli (beans and macaroni) escarole and bean, etc. are all now considered health foods.

I loved lentil soup, etc. , broccoli with garlic and olive oil, etc. Now, the grandkids prefer pizza and Macdonalds.Thanks for the response. I'll close now too and in doing so leave a schedule for what days we'll call it sauce and what days we call it gravy:

Call it Sauce On: Saturdays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Sundays
Call it Gravy On: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Above schedule on odd months, switch days on even months.
http://vz.iminent.com/vz/1b58eca0-5a29-4e0b-a502-80aae56cab89/2/italy-winking.gif

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[rubicon]

I read where some of you favored spaghetti agilio e olio, spaghetti with olive oil and garlic my mother's favorite and also my brother. It is surprise to experience the different flavors that different cuts of pasta have to a white brown or red sauce one is making. My favorite cuts are rigitoni, angel hair, penne,; although I find them all delicious. Since catholic were precluded from meat on Fridays mothers had to be somewhat inventive to stave off cooking the same old thing. My mother's pasta primevara was to die for carefully layered with cream warmed to just the right temperature. her home made pastas, riviloi, gnocchi and cavetelli derserving of a slow melting in your mouth in order to benefit from their flavors

And to return to the main theme of this thread the only time the words sauce and gravy were spoken during the same conversation had to do with the fact that two of the enteries would be pasta with red sauce and prime rib with au jus or brown gravy if you prefer...antipasta on the side

[skyguy79]

No no no.

You call it GRAVY on SUNDAYS only.....maybe Monday too.

By at least Wednesday, you can call it sauce....only if all the meat is gone.Datsa my schedule and I'ma stick'n by it. I'mma no gonna leta doesa who ride-a-da gravy train changa my minda! :p

[old moe]

:cryin2:when its made from an out side source like tomato, its always sauce,if its made from the juices of the product [ like meat]then its gravy.:wave:

[senior citizen]

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[rubicon]

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kingdom_of_the_Two_Sicilies&printable=yes)

Please click on above hyperlink and then keep scrolling all the way to the bottom. Kingdom of Two Sicilies information.

Also, Italy was once known as Lucania.

In doing my genealogy research the past decade, I also discovered what my dad had once told me that "Grandma" had French family.......as well as Greek ancestors. The Greeks were all over Laurenzana in the 11th and 12th centuries.......both of my Italian grandparents had Greek blood in them.

The region of Campania originally was a Greek settlement . My maternal grandfather emigrated from the ity of Foggia

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[2BNTV]

Loved your story. Pretty much the same with my family.

We called it gravy back in the 40's and 50's. Now we call it sauce so the rest of the world and I are on the same page.

Now matter what it's called, I loved it on macroni and or pasta.

Gotta go now as your post made me hungry. :smiley:

[tommy steam]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

Old school is Gravy..my Italian friends from the east up in NYC and the boston area call it gravy....I grew up with sauce....but I like it either way lol...

[senior citizen]

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[Josie70]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

I call it sauce and I am 100% also...Gravy is brown....

[skyguy79]

Old school is Gravy..my Italian friends from the east up in NYC and the boston area call it gravy....I grew up with sauce....but I like it either way lol...I have a feeling that it depends on spacifically what part of Italy people migrated from.

My 4 grandparents and one step-grandmother all immigrated to the Albany NY area from Italy, south of Rome, and they always called it sugo, pronounced zoogoo. Translated to English sugo is sauce. I've never heard any of them, their many descendent's and even one aunt (by marriage) of Sicilian heritage ever call it gravy.

To be honest I rarely ever heard the term gravy used until I got on TOTV and heard several people say it's gravy. I even did Google searches on the two terms and go the following results:

"Gravy on Spaghetti" got 2,400 hits.
"Sauce on Spaghetti" got 50,900 hits.

...and if I used the term pasta instead of spaghetti, the sauce figure went up to 126,000 while gravy barely changed.

Although the usage of both terms are acceptable, the results of the search would seem to support that the term sauce is favored over gravy, 95% to 5%.

I'll concede this though... If you go and put spaghetti sauce over meatloaf, I'll then call it gravy! :1rotfl:

[tpop1]

I guess its all what you grew up with.....

Grandpa & grandma were from Avligiano - Potenza provence Basciiacata - southeast of Naples up in the mountains

My Italian mother and the rest of the family made:
Tomato sauce,
Spagetti sauce,
Pizza sauce,
Marinara sauce, &
Meat sauce.

We did have gravy with:
The typical fatty pork roast we had (bettca' can't find one of those any more?)
Meatloaf,
Roasted chicken, and
Pot roast.....
but never, never with Macaroni!!!!(that's right we also never had Pasta just macaroni or sometimes spagetti!!):icon_wink::icon_wink::icon_wink:

Aha for the good times!!!

[mac9]

My Napolitano grandmother called it gravy. I would never disrespect her and call it sauce. My American-American spouse also calls it gravy.

[senior citizen]

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[jblum315]

I lived for 40+ years in Mamaroneck, NY, a town of about 20,000, roughly 80% of whom are Italian. Most of the grandmothers called it gravy as did some of the younger ones. But in stores and restaurants it was sauce.

[ugotme]

Okay, lets confuse the issue - My father (Italian) called it sauce B U T -
His brother called it gravy ! :shrug:

Who knows? I just call it DEELICIOUS !!!! :beer3:

[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

With less than 2% results in comparing Google hits on gravy/pasta and more than 98% hits on sauce/pasta, I don't think I'll be calling pasta, spaghetti or macaroni sauce "gravy" anytime soon! I think I'll keep the gravy on turkey, chicken, meat loaf, roasts, mashed potatoes and other non pasta items for now.

FYI, my grandparents are not from North Italy (not that you said that they were). They're from the Morolo Italy area, about 90km SE of Rome. Here's a map of the location:

Morolo, FR, Italia - Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Morolo,+FR,+Italia&hl=en&ll=41.635973,13.200073&spn=0.516261,1.234589&sll=41.639226,13.198478&sspn=0.016132,0.038581&oq=Morolo+Ital&gl=us&hnear=Morolo,+Province+of+Frosinone,+Lazio,+Italy&t=m&z=10)

...and here's a couple of pictures of the house my great-grandfather lived in and his burial site.

[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

OK Senior Citizen, I'm going to make things more complicated by saying it's... 'noodles and diluted tomato paste'! :a20:

Seriously, regardless of what you call it, the only thing that's important in the end is whether or not the stuff in the bowl or on the plate is yummy or not!
http://www.patchwork-community.de/neuesmilies/smiley1739.gif
"Umm... Yum-yum-yum-yum.... Burrrrp!"

[senior citizen]

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[tpop1]

It might be generational. What year did they immigrate? To where?
Both of my dad's parents came from Laurenzana, Potenza Basilicata Province, close to where yours came from. Closest city was the port of Naples..

I thought it was regional, but your forebearers were very close to mine.
It sounds like Laurenzana (south of Potenza) was close to Avigilano (north of Potenza) but they were "gravy" people and mine were "sauce?"

My grandfather came to Ellis Iland in @ 1897 and met grandma here...she had come a little later so it does not seem to be generational either.

"Ah sweet mystery of life!!!"

[senior citizen]

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[2BNTV]

Skyguy79, Senior Citizen and tpop1:

I will volunteer to go each house and taste the gravy aka sauce to see which is made better. :jester:

It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. :smiley:

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

As others have said, either way is fine with me.

Laurenzana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurenzana)



Avigliano, Basilicata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avigliano,_Basilicata&printable=yes)



Your ancestral village of Avigliano had a castle also.

It looks in better shape than Laurenzana's....although the latter one has been restored "somewhat" by volunteer donations, etc.





Skyguy79, Senior Citizen and tpop1:

I will volunteer to go each house and taste the gravy aka sauce to see which is made better. :jester:

It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. :smiley:

Yours could be a new reality show !!!!!

[tpop1]

Skyguy79, Senior Citizen and tpop1:

I will volunteer to go each house and taste the gravy aka sauce to see which is made better. :jester:

It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. :smiley:

I'll be back in Clinton CT today so makin SAUCE for Sunday!!

All you have to do is bring some good Italian bread...the kind that scatches the roof of your moute! ummm!

[senior citizen]

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[tpop1]

Tomato sauce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tomato_sauce&printable=yes)



We are all vindicated..............click on hyperlink and scroll down to the various explanations.......



Especially that for the UNITED STATES.......



Some Italian Americans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_American) on the East Coast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast_of_the_United_States) and around the Chicago area (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_area) refer to tomato sauce as "gravy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravy)", "tomato gravy", or "Sunday gravy", especially sauces with a large quantity of meat simmered in them, similar to the Italian Neapolitan ragù (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_rag%C3%B9). "Gravy" is an erroneous English translation from the Italian sugo which means juice, but can also mean sauce (as in sugo per pastasciutta). The expression for "gravy" in Italian is sugo d'arrosto, which is literally "juice of a roast" and is not specifically tomato sauce.[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tomato_sauce&printable=yes#cite_note-6)

So its all due to bad translation to english...must have been the same inspector at Ellis Island who messed up so many people's names giving out a bad translation!!!

[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

I just read an article that puts the sauce~gravy debate into the most proper perspective I've yet to see. It says to forget worrying about what’s in a name, like sauce or gravy, and instead focus on more important things – like what’s for dessert. :clap2:

[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

CanoliNot for me! My wife likes them but I don't. The cheese is too gritty for me. There's a bakery in Latham NY called Bella Napoli where I'd have almost anything there, and they do have a lot... I MEAN A LOT beyond what shows on their website. I especially loved their rum cake, but haven't had any in years and they don't ship! {Waaaa... I wanna move back north} http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii269/theogrit/Smiley-Crying.gif Just kidding! :D

WARNING: Proceed at your own risk... Bella Napoli Bakery (http://www.bellanapolibakery.com/index.htm)

[senior citizen]

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[skyguy79]

I love rum cake. We haven't had a bakery rum cake since we left New Jersey in 1970.

I used to bake my own rum cake using Bacardi Rum.......but haven't made that in years. Very moist.

Here are Ferrara Canoli, etc. They ship overnight; perhaps your bakery might also ship to Florida?

Ferrara Bakery & Café (http://www.ferraracafe.com/home.php)

You are really going to cry when you view the above hyperlink.Before I saw this post I updated my post that they don't ship. Also, I'm not gonna cry. I already saw the site and I'm now through with my crying. :D

Ferrara's looks very interesting and has some of what Bella Napoli has. I'm bookmarking the site!

[rubicon]

Brown gravy and red sauce....brown gravy and red sauce.....brown gravy and red sauce....brown gravy and red sauce.....brown gravy and red sauce....brown gravy and red sauce...brown gravcy and red sauce....brown gracvy and red sauce....brown gravy and red sauce.....................

Canoli, bird nest cookies, rossets with honey and confectionary sugar (sp)
ravilio, gnoccchi (sp) veal scapoline pasta primvera Moma moma moma
stuff veal roast, wedding soup moma moma moma:D

[senior citizen]

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[Russ_Boston]

All these arguments and people who are insistent one way or the other are nice but how about let's stick to the facts as provided by Merriam-Webster dictionary:

gravy: a sauce made from the thickened and seasoned juices of cooked meat

Gravy - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gravy)

And please notice that is origin is Middle English and French not Italian.

Now when I was young my mother did start the "Stuff" from braised short ribs so I guess technically she made the gravy by thickening the meat drippings with tomatoes and seasoning etc.

I mean nobody really cares about what it's called. Do they? But I have heard people who get upset when they hear it called gravy. Silly thing to get upset about. Don't you think?

[ugotme]

Canoli

OOOOHHHHHhhhhhhhh NOW YOU'RE TALKING !

[Vinny]

Always gravy in my family. The only sauce we ever had was Soy.

[tpop1]

I mean nobody really cares about what it's called. Do they

Come on, Russ....have you read the posts.:MOJE_whot::MOJE_whot:

It's a point of honor for those of us raised on the stuff .... Sauce people are staunchly sauce people and gravy people are staunchly gravy people ????

Being otherwise is being untrue to one's heritage and upbringing..not nice to dis momma and grandma!:wave:

It's more polorizing than what's the best Village in The Villages or dog poop vs. no dog poop.

I surprised that the Moderator hasn't banned this thread as too political!! :a20:

[graciegirl]

Had dinner tonight at Carrabas with friends of ours from the midwest.( Ohio and Kentucky and Tennessee) and we were saying that none of us ever tasted any Italian food until we were in College. Or Bagels. Or Cheesecake.

Naturally our palates have become accustomed to many different cultures and ethnicities foods since then but I had by first home cooked Italian dinner here in TV...EVER.

And that same neighbor had her first homemade sauerbraten from my kitchen.

We weren't poor or deprived believe me. The food we had as children was scrumptious, home grown, home cooked, home canned.

but I LOVE Italian food now and I don't care whether you call it sauce or gravy. YUMMO!

[CFrance]

I'm English and French. No experience with real Italian food. But I think calling it gravy sounds really cool. JMO

[senior citizen]

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[graciegirl]

I always made saurbraten when the kids were home.......it takes days and days to marinate but well worth it. I had a wonderful elderly German neighbor who gave me the recipe......originally.

Our son in law is German and he has been making saurbraten for his family for almost twenty years now, learned from his German mom.
Ditto for our daughter in law.........so I'm sure she's also had it.

My mom and dad cooked American style, as well as Italian and Ukrainian/Polish type foods while I was growing up in the 50s.

While raising our family in the 70s and 80s I cooked ALL ETHNICTY OF FOODS.......and my kids ate it all. I even made my own won ton soup.
I loved cooking Chinese foods in a wok, etc.

To this day, they love to experience different foods from different cultures. On the other hand, most Vermonters were the plain meat and potatoes type folks, but that's also changed nowadays.


I can see just from reading your posts that your family was VERY lucky to have you in the kitchen.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[2BNTV]

This thread makes me hungry. :smiley:

[old moe]

:cryin2:when its made from an out side source like tomato, its always sauce,if its made from the juices of the product [ like meat]then its gravy.:wave:

:jester: nothing has changed in my world.:sigh::sigh:

[SABRMnLgs]

Look at the labels on the cans. Its beeg GRAVY mix and tomato sauce. Never saw a can that said tomato gravy, nor a mix that said beef sauce.

I'm a Polak and gravy goes on meat and potatoes. Sauce goes on pizza, spaghetti and the like.
Can someone show me a can of Del Monte, Heinz, etc that says tomato gravy??

[senior citizen]

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[Russ_Boston]

not "the real kind of pizza". He was referring to the type which originated in Naples, Italy (Napoli)....which probably might be closer today to a Chicago type deep dish pizza.


Not on the subject but:


Neapolitan pizza is very, very far away from Chicago deep dish style. In fact it would look more like a traditional NY style pizza. Check out the pics in this link:

The Ten Best Pizzerias in Naples, Italy- possibly the best pizza in the world | Cellar Tours Blog (http://www.cellartours.com/blog/italy/the-ten-best-pizzerias-in-naples-italy-possibly-the-best-pizza-in-the-world)

[jblum315]

Those frittara thingies look yummy

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[Russ_Boston]

I do like the deeper pies myself. Back north we refer to these as Sicilian style. But who really knows.

[CFrance]

I do like the deeper pies myself. Back north we refer to these as Sicilian style. But who really knows.

Deeper pies vs. flat pies... that's a whole 'nother thread! (My vote... NYC foldable flats.)

[rhondac]

I can not believe this thread is still alive!!! Lol!!!

[rhondac]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

LOL Almost 4 years of debate....I think I will defrost some Sunday Gravy.:1rotfl:

[tpop1]

This thread makes me hungry. :smiley:

Couldn't hold out any longer, but following all the tug and pull of this thread(and the election) I had Broccolli Rabe with Turkey Sausage and Shell Macaroni for dinner tonight.... thats with a white sauce (...or gravy if that's your thing!!!)

[senior citizen]

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[Jim&Fran]

Every Sunday morning my alarm clock would would gently wake me, not a ringer or buzzer but rather the sound of sizzle and the aroma of garlic and oil. Without looking I knew a large cast iron fryin pan would be crowded with hand rolled meatballs of different sizes.
Mom always made "extras" which were kept on the stove until I returned from Church.
A huge pot, already simmering with deep scarlet tomato lava, laced with chunks of meaty goodness sat waiting but not quite ready.
Walking back home after Church you could smell that same Sunday morning temptation comming from each house I passed. I was born and raised in the Long Island City (Astoria)
section of NYC. The first thing I did when comming back home was to grab one of those extras on the stove with a fork. I would carefully swipe it along the upper rim on the pot, that's where the Gravey was caked and thick. Oh the joy of simple pleasures. There was always something unique about moms and grandmas Gravey and meatballs, I was sure none were better in the whole world. To this day I try to duplicate everything I saw and learned, to be honest I'm close, really close. I guess the secret to making that wonderful traditional dish is to make plenty at once. I might have a touch of OCD when it comes to cooking. When I make meatballs I always make an even number, not 6 or 8 how about 20 or 30. I found that its easier to come closer due to the fact that a smidge more salt or anything else will not throw off the flavor as much. By the way please keep all those measuring devices in the draw, a tsp of this or a cup of that. You want to cook like Granma than cook like Granma. Put the ingredients in the palm of your hand one at a time, look at it then add. Make meatballs a little irregular, I mean not all the same size. Each one will have its own appeal when you reach into the meat platter with your own fork. By the way, Grandma and Grandpa lived downstairs and yes we made wine every fall in the cellar.
Sunday's were always filled with good food, fun and family visits.
Oh any by the way, we had macaroni not pasta with the Gravey.
Maybe another time I'll tell you about what else was in that large pot with the wooden spoon keeping the lid ajar all morning and afternoon. Yep, you can't get this stuff in a jar.
Eat well.
Jim.

[CFrance]

That's a wonderful memoir. Do tell us about what else was in the large part. I look forward to the next installment.

Oh, and... your house for dinner next Sunday?

[CFrance]

That's a wonderful memoir. Do tell us about what else was in the large part. I look forward to the next installment.

Oh, and... your house for dinner next Sunday?

Oops, I meant the large pot, not part. Too much drooling on the keyboard.

[rubicon]

Every Sunday morning my alarm clock would would gently wake me, not a ringer or buzzer but rather the sound of sizzle and the aroma of garlic and oil. Without looking I knew a large cast iron fryin pan would be crowded with hand rolled meatballs of different sizes.
Mom always made "extras" which were kept on the stove until I returned from Church.
A huge pot, already simmering with deep scarlet tomato lava, laced with chunks of meaty goodness sat waiting but not quite ready.
Walking back home after Church you could smell that same Sunday morning temptation comming from each house I passed. I was born and raised in the Long Island City (Astoria)
section of NYC. The first thing I did when comming back home was to grab one of those extras on the stove with a fork. I would carefully swipe it along the upper rim on the pot, that's where the Gravey was caked and thick. Oh the joy of simple pleasures. There was always something unique about moms and grandmas Gravey and meatballs, I was sure none were better in the whole world. To this day I try to duplicate everything I saw and learned, to be honest I'm close, really close. I guess the secret to making that wonderful traditional dish is to make plenty at once. I might have a touch of OCD when it comes to cooking. When I make meatballs I always make an even number, not 6 or 8 how about 20 or 30. I found that its easier to come closer due to the fact that a smidge more salt or anything else will not throw off the flavor as much. By the way please keep all those measuring devices in the draw, a tsp of this or a cup of that. You want to cook like Granma than cook like Granma. Put the ingredients in the palm of your hand one at a time, look at it then add. Make meatballs a little irregular, I mean not all the same size. Each one will have its own appeal when you reach into the meat platter with your own fork. By the way, Grandma and Grandpa lived downstairs and yes we made wine every fall in the cellar.
Sunday's were always filled with good food, fun and family visits.
Oh any by the way, we had macaroni not pasta with the Gravey.
Maybe another time I'll tell you about what else was in that large pot with the wooden spoon keeping the lid ajar all morning and afternoon. Yep, you can't get this stuff in a jar.
Eat well.
Jim.

Jim: ditto Every Sunday after 7:30 mass to Granma's big bowls of meatballs with and without sauce, fresh Italian bread antipasta, sometimes eggplant and always homemade red wine. As kids we we entitled to a shot glass of wine with an adminition that this was allowed only because of celebration and any gratitious consumption was a cause for discipline.

Who ever said that a breakfast had to consist of bacon and eggs only not that i don't like bacon and eggs.

[senior citizen]

Jim: ditto Every Sunday after 7:30 mass to Granma's big bowls of meatballs with and without sauce, fresh Italian bread antipasta, sometimes eggplant and always homemade red wine. As kids we we entitled to a shot glass of wine with an adminition that this was allowed only because of celebration and any gratitious consumption was a cause for discipline.

Who ever said that a breakfast had to consist of bacon and eggs only not that i don't like bacon and eggs.

How about some pantone or biscotti with your morning coffee????
We also like bacon and eggs, but sometimes, especially around the holidays, a lighter breakfast is enjoyable. Below pics from Ferrara's in New York City , Grand Avenue(?) corners of Mulberry and Mott Streets.
Just placed my order yesterday........as well as gift orders. Their five pound Italian cookie assortment is enjoyed by all....and appreciated.
The Pantone yeast bread is the "next best thing" to my mom's and my husband's mom's "babka"......also, I know it doesn't sound HEALTHY, but I recall lots of the Italian men only had "cookies and coffee" for breaskfast.
Bacon and eggs, and big American style farm breakfasts were not the norm among the Italians of the olden days. love those pignoli (pine nut) cookies and the maccaroons (coconut). Our adult kids like the rainbow ones.

http://www.ferraracafe.com/images/P/Panettone_sm-200x300.jpg

http://www.ferraracafe.com/images/D/biscotti-nonuts-large.jpg

http://www.ferraracafe.com/images/P/5lb%20cookies_sm-200x150.jpg

[senior citizen]

Every Sunday morning my alarm clock would would gently wake me, not a ringer or buzzer but rather the sound of sizzle and the aroma of garlic and oil. Without looking I knew a large cast iron fryin pan would be crowded with hand rolled meatballs of different sizes.
Mom always made "extras" which were kept on the stove until I returned from Church.
A huge pot, already simmering with deep scarlet tomato lava, laced with chunks of meaty goodness sat waiting but not quite ready.
Walking back home after Church you could smell that same Sunday morning temptation comming from each house I passed. I was born and raised in the Long Island City (Astoria)
section of NYC. The first thing I did when comming back home was to grab one of those extras on the stove with a fork. I would carefully swipe it along the upper rim on the pot, that's where the Gravey was caked and thick. Oh the joy of simple pleasures. There was always something unique about moms and grandmas Gravey and meatballs, I was sure none were better in the whole world. To this day I try to duplicate everything I saw and learned, to be honest I'm close, really close. I guess the secret to making that wonderful traditional dish is to make plenty at once. I might have a touch of OCD when it comes to cooking. When I make meatballs I always make an even number, not 6 or 8 how about 20 or 30. I found that its easier to come closer due to the fact that a smidge more salt or anything else will not throw off the flavor as much. By the way please keep all those measuring devices in the draw, a tsp of this or a cup of that. You want to cook like Granma than cook like Granma. Put the ingredients in the palm of your hand one at a time, look at it then add. Make meatballs a little irregular, I mean not all the same size. Each one will have its own appeal when you reach into the meat platter with your own fork. By the way, Grandma and Grandpa lived downstairs and yes we made wine every fall in the cellar.
Sunday's were always filled with good food, fun and family visits.
Oh any by the way, we had macaroni not pasta with the Gravey.
Maybe another time I'll tell you about what else was in that large pot with the wooden spoon keeping the lid ajar all morning and afternoon. Yep, you can't get this stuff in a jar.
Eat well.
Jim.

FRANCESCO RINALDI (http://francescorinaldi.com/print_detail.php?rec=93&search=&prod=&cat=&fam=&r=&p)=#

After purchasing some “gluten free” pasta sauce, reading the ingredients, etc........
I went to the website listed on the back of the jar in order to confirm that it was truly all natural.

Even though I make my own marinara, etc. sauce from scratch (which is quite easy to do....).....................
on occasion, when deciding at the last moment to have a pasta side dish to go with something else........
such as crabcakes and green salad.......it was quick to put together while the crabcakes were sizzling in a bit of olive oil.

Anyway.....I discovered this really nice website..........and yes, the product has no preservatives, no additives, no starch...

It’s gluten free and lactose free. I was pleasantly surprised.

However what really made me chuckle is how they list their recipe for the traditional Sunday pasta “sauce”.

Please click hyperlink above......at very top of this post.

Also, it never hurts to have some jarred sauce on hand in the pantry for unexpected grandchildren visits.

Or......a spur of the moment “snowy day” chicken parm sandwiches........when you just need some sauce to cover the chicken and mozarella.

[PattyPan1]

My 100% Italian grandmother always made the Sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
do you say gravy OR
do call it sauce??


GRAVY here!! LOL :icon_hungry:

100% Italian - GRAVY.

[JoeC1947]

Sorry, but It's sauce, did you ever here of spaghetti gravy? I think not because it's spaghetti sauce! Staten Island Italian here.

[skyguy79]

I'm 100% Italian with all grandparents having come here from Italy. As I read through the posts in this thread, I found statements that I found amusing; statements that indicate what they think justifying the usage of the term they think is correct. The most glaring and humorous was one that read something like... It's gravy because it's on the label of a jar. I won't say what I think of that reasoning. I've even read in an internet article where a chef explained the difference by stating that if the pasta is wet and not throughly drained, it's called sauce because the gravy was diluted. But if it's put on a drained bed of spaghetti, pasta or whatever you wanna call it, it's gravy. Another bright explanation!

Now is there really a correct term? Well basically you can call it whatever you want. Right or wrong, nobody's gonna stop you from using the term and neither is really 100% correct. The real issue is what is really the more appropriate term? One simple test is to do a Google search on the exact terms and see just how many hits you get on each. I did just that and here are the results:

"Spaghetti Gravy: 22,700 hits
"Spaghetti Sauce: 4,550,000 hits
With Sauce having 200 times more hits than Gravy, I think there is a clear winner and that it's by far the more "appropriate" term to use if not the "proper" term. Supporting that is the fact that if you check the definition of both terms, you'll find out that gravy is a form of sauce while there is no mention of sauce being a form of gravy.

I have never ever heard of using the name gravy for topping spaghetti or pasta by any member of my now departed past generations. In fact I don't remember when I even heard it used for spaghetti or pasta for the first time, but it wasn't in my youth. Gravy was as others have indicated a sauce to use on meats, poultry, stuffing, mashed potatoes etc., but not for topping spaghetti or pasta. Matter of fact my familia frequently used the Italian term of Sugo (pronounced Zugou) for spaghetti sauce which technically covers both gravy and sauce as well as juice and essence. We even called the end cuts of the Italian bread "Cula" (pronounced Gulah or Goolou) meaning "A**" in Italian. The Cula was my favorite, but I'm not gonna tell you what I did with it! :pIt seems this thread has no end in reincarnations, so I thought I'd bring back the post I made some time ago. My only comment to add to that post is... anyone can call anything what they want whenever they want, but when the Google figures are so overwhelmingly in favor of sauce, and the poll results supports sauce, and having never ever heard of term gravy being used instead of sauce in my Italian family, well, that's good enough for me!

[2BNTV]

Thread is three years old.

Just sayin.......

[ncarvalho]

I voted for sauce, because of the variety of option one can make (or buy).
Gravy is more of utilizing the juice of the meat to prepare it.

Now, my bedside books have so many options for sauces (and I make most of them from scratch) that all I need it the time (retirement!) to make them all!

Enjoy.. today is a snow day in Fairfax,VA and I am making marrow SAUCE with pepper… perfect on a bed of polenta and a good wine. Care to join?

[skyguy79]

I voted for sauce, because of the variety of option one can make (or buy).
Gravy is more of utilizing the juice of the meat to prepare it.

Now, my bedside books have so many options for sauces (and I make most of them from scratch) that all I need it the time (retirement!) to make them all!

Enjoy.. today is a snow day in Fairfax,VA and I am making marrow SAUCE with pepper… perfect on a bed of polenta and a good wine. Care to join?Aah... polenta. Man, I think it's been more than 45 years since I've had polenta e baccala. My mother used to prepare it and serve it to my father and myself right on the table - no plates! http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x71/saccillia/emotes/bth_sigh_emote.gif

[skyguy79]

Money is also refered to as "gravy" by some! Some people also think the moon is made of cheese!

So let's have a party by cooking up some pasta, put some ground up money on it, sprinkle shredded moon over it and serve hot with some Italian bread & butter! :1rotfl:

[jorick]

my 100% italian grandmother always made the sunday gravy (tomato) with pork, beef, veal, braccioli, meatballs, and sausauge, etc...........
Do you say gravy or
do call it sauce??


Gravy here!! Lol :icon_hungry:

gravy-born and raised in n.y that's what we called it!

[CFrance]

I shall ask my next-door neighbor, Italian born and raised in Hoboken NJ. What she says goes, in my book.

[senior citizen]

Nowadays, in 2013, everyone calls pasta sauce "sauce". No doubt about it.

However, those of us who were born in the 1940's or prior....and who have childhood memories of the 1950's.......and perhaps those whose grandmothers came from southern Italy, as mine did, remember the nonna (grandmother) or zia (aunt) calling it "gravy". I'm talking "Little Italy" New York City, circa 1940's, 1950's, etc.
They all arrived in the late 1880's from the mountainous regions of southern Italy.

My dad called it gravy and my mom called it gravy. The next generation began calling it sauce. We still call it sauce, but they called it gravy.

They also called pasta "macaroni" no matter..........

Nowadays we all call it pasta and sauce. No doubt about it.

But, back in the day..........they all called it GRAVY.

Sunday Gravy was with all the meats. We've run over this explanation before......

As someone else wisely states , it doesn't really matter what one calls it.........home made sauce/gravy is delicious. The kind you want to dip your bread right into the pot for..........

I am guilty of renewing this thread when I found another recipe for Sunday Gravy on the Francesco Rinaldi website..........and posted it as an added thought to the original thread............by the way, we were raised in New Jersey, but still, all of the oldtimers (grandparents of friends of mine) back in the 1950's still called it GRAVY.

Today we all call it pasta sauce.

[Portia]

Its sauce we italians know and i still make it the way my mom did..thank god for moms!!!!

[shcisamax]

From: In Italy They Call It Gravy (http://italianfood.about.com/od/regionalcuisines1/ss/aa040406_10.htm)

In Italy They Call It Gravy



It being pasta sauce, and the answer is no, simply because gravy is an English word (sorry).

In Italy there are sugo and salsa. Sugo derives from succo (juices), and refers to pan drippings from the cooking of meats, rich meat-based sauces along the lines of sugo alla Bolognese, or thick vegetable sauces (which often, though not always, go over pasta). A salsa is a semi-liquid-to-liquid raw or cooked sauce that's used as a condiment. It can go over pasta, for example pesto alla genovese, but can also be used to season other dishes. For example, salsa verde is wonderful over boiled meats or potatoes, as is mayonnaise (salsa maionese in many cookbooks). If a sauce is especially delicate, it may be called "salsina."

The passage from sugo/salsa to sauce/gravy must have occurred when immigrant families settled into new neighborhoods in the US, and is, I expect, an Italian-American family/neighborhood tradition more than anything else. Some immigrants translated the Italian for what they put on their pasta as gravy, while others translated it as sauce, and the translations have been passed down through the generations, becoming law in the process. People get amazingly passionate over things like this.

[senior citizen]

Every Sunday morning my alarm clock would would gently wake me, not a ringer or buzzer but rather the sound of sizzle and the aroma of garlic and oil. Without looking I knew a large cast iron fryin pan would be crowded with hand rolled meatballs of different sizes.
Mom always made "extras" which were kept on the stove until I returned from Church.
A huge pot, already simmering with deep scarlet tomato lava, laced with chunks of meaty goodness sat waiting but not quite ready.
Walking back home after Church you could smell that same Sunday morning temptation comming from each house I passed. I was born and raised in the Long Island City (Astoria)
section of NYC. The first thing I did when comming back home was to grab one of those extras on the stove with a fork. I would carefully swipe it along the upper rim on the pot, that's where the Gravey was caked and thick. Oh the joy of simple pleasures. There was always something unique about moms and grandmas Gravey and meatballs, I was sure none were better in the whole world. To this day I try to duplicate everything I saw and learned, to be honest I'm close, really close. I guess the secret to making that wonderful traditional dish is to make plenty at once. I might have a touch of OCD when it comes to cooking. When I make meatballs I always make an even number, not 6 or 8 how about 20 or 30. I found that its easier to come closer due to the fact that a smidge more salt or anything else will not throw off the flavor as much. By the way please keep all those measuring devices in the draw, a tsp of this or a cup of that. You want to cook like Granma than cook like Granma. Put the ingredients in the palm of your hand one at a time, look at it then add. Make meatballs a little irregular, I mean not all the same size. Each one will have its own appeal when you reach into the meat platter with your own fork. By the way, Grandma and Grandpa lived downstairs and yes we made wine every fall in the cellar.
Sunday's were always filled with good food, fun and family visits.
Oh any by the way, we had macaroni not pasta with the Gravey.
Maybe another time I'll tell you about what else was in that large pot with the wooden spoon keeping the lid ajar all morning and afternoon. Yep, you can't get this stuff in a jar.
Eat well.
Jim.

This couple is spot on correct. It was Sunday Gravy with the meats in it.
And it was macaroni not pasta.

Nowadays WE ALL CALL IT SAUCE AND PASTA. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

But back in our childhoods, it was "gravy" and "macaroni".

Perhaps the faction that understands that the Sunday GRAVY had meats in it made the difference compared to plain old marinara sauce which was tomatoes and garlic, basil, oregano, etc. Marinara sauce had no meat in it. AMEN.

P.S. TO THE "AMEN" I myself call it pasta sauce NOWADAYS but I still remember back when they all called it GRAVY.

[skyguy79]

With this debate being reborn and debated over and over, again and again, I thought it was time to repost my comments I made nearly a year ago on this thread. These have always been my thoughts, still are and will always be. There's just too much overwhelming evidence for me not to.
I'm 100% Italian with all grandparents having come here from Italy. As I read through the posts in this thread, I found statements that I found amusing; statements that indicate what they think justifying the usage of the term they think is correct. The most glaring and humorous was one that read something like... It's gravy because it's on the label of a jar. I won't say what I think of that reasoning. I've even read in an internet article where a chef explained the difference by stating that if the pasta is wet and not thoroughly drained, it's called sauce because the gravy was diluted. But if it's put on a drained bed of spaghetti, pasta or whatever you wanna call it, it's gravy. Another bright explanation!

Now is there really a correct term? Well basically you can call it whatever you want. Right or wrong, nobody's gonna stop you from using the term and neither is really 100% correct. The real issue is what is really the more appropriate term? One simple test is to do a Google search on the exact terms and see just how many hits you get on each. I did just that and here are the results:

"Spaghetti Gravy: 22,700 hits
"Spaghetti Sauce: 4,550,000 hits

With Sauce having 200 times more hits than Gravy, I think there is a clear winner and that it's by far the more "appropriate" term to use if not the "proper" term. Supporting that is the fact that if you check the definition of both terms, you'll find out that gravy is a form of sauce while there is no mention of sauce being a form of gravy.

I have never ever heard of using the name gravy for topping spaghetti or pasta by any member of my now departed past generations. In fact I don't remember when I even heard it used for spaghetti or pasta for the first time, but it wasn't in my youth. Gravy was as others have indicated a sauce to use on meats, poultry, stuffing, mashed potatoes etc., but not for topping spaghetti or pasta. Matter of fact my familia frequently used the Italian term of Sugo (pronounced Zugou) for spaghetti sauce which technically covers both gravy and sauce as well as juice and essence. We even called the end cuts of the Italian bread "Cula" (pronounced Gulah or Goolou) meaning "A**" in Italian. The Cula was my favorite, but I'm not gonna tell you what I did with it! :p

[jblum315]

oh, please, aren't we done with this? BORING!!

[senior citizen]

With this debate being reborn and debated over and over, again and again, I thought it was time to repost my comments I made nearly a year ago on this thread. These have always been my thoughts, still are and will always be. There's just too much overwhelming evidence for me not to.

Love you Skyguy and all your posts. In due respect, I "hear you" and yes we all call it sauce today......so any poll conducted nowadays would turn out to be "sauce wins".

I'm referring to back in the 1940's and 1950's LITTLE ITALY NEW YORK CITY where my paternal grandparents came in 1890 from a little mountain village in southern Italy.

I understand the translation from sugo.

But I also distinctly remember my aunts, my grandmother, all the cousins and relatives.......plus my own dad and mom calling it "gravy". This was way before any bottled or jarred sauce appeared on the market. In those days it was made from scratch. The Sunday Gravy had meat in it.
Many types of meat.

I did my own survey once and "gravy" was typical of immigrants to New York City's Little Italy whose children then moved to northern New Jersey, etc. It might be different for those who settled in Chicago or elsewhere.

Can we argue with GOODFELLAS???????????? See the Sunday gravy,etc?
Goodfellas Foods (http://www.goodfellasfoods.com/)

Can we argue with the notorious SOPRANOS?
Soprano's Uncle Junior's Sunday "Gravy" | The Gail Spot (http://www.thegailspot.com/?q=node/183)
Soprano’s Uncle Junior’s Sunday “Gravy”
It will make everyone happy to see “sauce” used interchangeably.

http://pegasuslegend-whatscookin.blogspot.com/2011/02/upstate-ny-italian-sauce-or-gravy.html

Please scroll down on the above hyperlink. It's definitely a regional expression as to whether one calls it sauce or they call it gravy.
This is an interesting article............