"Gravy" or "sauce"?

[Rachel]

Sometimes with food i think that there can be a a lot of problems caused by 'translation' of food. In the Uk gravy is a meat based sauce used to pour over meat, mostly roast meat such as chicken, Lamb, pork etc,etc. Tomato would be in the gravy if it had been used while cooking the meat. Anything with pasta isn't gravy but sauce. My own opinion (based on my limited knowledge of languages other than English, rather than culinary abilities) is that once a 'foreign' food is used in a country, the descriptions for it will never be adequate, and sometimes it's best not to worry about it.
I have just sat and watched a TV programme where a respected chef (who is magnificent with food) made a 'paella' in a flat pan which he continually stirred. What he made was lovely but it wasn't paella as they are NEVER stirred. Again the language that we have in English fails us, or Rick Stein made a Cornish Paella.

[Rachel]

P.S. In Spanish Spanish (as opposed to Mexican Spanish, which I know nothing about ) everything that 'runs' is sasla. Chicken curry is 'chicken in curry salsa', anything with pasta is 'salsa'. Any kind of meat with what I would call gravy on it is 'salsa' in Spanish - a failing of the language in my opinion, but then in English we have a lot of failings too.

[marmalady]

Rachael, in the States in general, the word 'gravy' is indeed used to mean a 'meat-based sauce' served over meat, and potatoes or bread. It's only the Italian-Americans who came to America who dubbed the meat/tomato sauce 'gravy'!

[Leo R.]

Rachel,i`ve seen the programme where Rick Stein made "paella".First he made his version of lobster stock,which contained saffron.Then he added squid,lobster meat,prawns,i`m not sure if they were Langoustine and monkfish.
He used Arborio rice,i wondered why,like you,did he stir it so many times?
I would like to know where he got his recipe from?Leo.

[Rachel]

Originally posted by Leo R.

I would like to know where he got his recipe from?Leo.

His head??? (or another part of his anatomy?) certainly not anywhere in Spain. But i would use arboro rice or any kind of risotto rice for paella as the Spaniards always use short grain rice. The only time I've seen paella with long grain rice is in tourist traps.

[Suzanne]

Just to add one more New York voice: yes, that red stuff is, indeed, "gravy." At least, that's what my friend Anne Compoccia, who was born and raised in "Li'l-Itly" and used to own a restaurant there, said.

[Nick.Shu]

could i perhaps add a comment.

The standard for "gravy" would be that the end product is either cooked in or originates from the raw product.

vis a vis: gravy is the pan dripping of the roast and thickened with a starch, et al

or: tomato is cooked with the meat adding to the sauce.

so, by my definition, if the meat in the dish itself is either cooked with or adds to the sauce (or by definition "gravy), then it must be gravy. If the sauce contributes to the dish, but is made from commodities apart from the dish itself, then it must be a sauce (i.e. a good example is demi glace - made from beef, but not from the dish or cooking metho itself.)

im open to opinions.

[Chef Nosko]

The word "Gravy" for a meat based tomato sauce is a Italian American regional term pertaining to New York, and parts of New England. I first heard the term while attending Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. I also occasionally hear it in the Boston area.

I have lived in many parts of the US and have never heard the term used anywhere else, although I am sure there are people who moved away from these areas that still use it.

Imagine being invited to a Sunday dinner at someones home and having the host tell you that they are preparing "Gravy" for you.
And oh, by the way......we always serve gravy on this day.

It helps when you understand what it is.

I love being invited over for gravy.......or if I see gravy on a menu in Bostons North End I am not freaked by the description.

Now, if someone in Topeka, Kansas, or Walla Walla, Washington invites me over for gravy....then I may have to pass. Or, eat something before I arrive for dinner.

Chef Nosko
A Fresh Endeavor
Boston, MA

[Leisa M]

Originally posted by Leo R.
Cchiu,it`s not just Antonin Careme who refined sauces.Don`t forget Auguste Escoffier,who at the turn of the last century was in charge of the Savoy hotel on London.Escoffier was once described as "The king of chefs and the chef of kings".
His sous chef,Jean Saulnier,compiled the Repetoire de la Cuisine,based on Escoffier`s recipes,which is still used today for references purposes.Apparently,Ceasar Ritz was the general manager there at the time.Leo.

I am new to this board and am not a chef so what does "sous" mean?

[Suzanne]

The "sous chef" is the second-in-command in a professional kitchen. Very often has the responsibility for overseeing the actual cooking, while the "chef de cuisine" (the executive; in other words, the big boss of the kitchen) does the creative stuff. A sous chef may also handle some of the administrative work, such as ordering, taking inventory, training staff, etc. So the sous chef has to know every dish the chef comes up with -- what the ingredients are, how they are prepared for cooking, how the each component part gets cooked, and how the whole thing is plated.