Talk:Gravy

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Gravy is not a beverage
It says gravy is a beverage. Gravy is not a beverage, it is a sauce. I have never heard of anyone drinking gravy, it is not meant to be drunk. I am correcting this —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.172.89.50 (talk) 05:00, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

ummm actually gravy IS beverage, and youve never heard of anyone drinking it?? guess what,,,, i drink gravy, from a cup, and it is perfectly fine and DELICIOUS gravy is a beverage AND a sauce, and anyway, does it really matter???? its gravy for petes sake! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.212.162.118 (talk) 16:15, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

I drink it too if it is well made and flavourful, but I understand this behavior is considered deviant. My 90 year old mother in law of British heritage makes the comment, 'He don't drink no gravy', in reference to someone at the dinner table that doesn't want any gravy on their food, so the word 'drink' in this case means 'consume'.Dnbethune (talk) 16:50, 4 March 2011

Red Gravy
I'm shocked that no-one has made mention of the alternate use of the word "gravy" to mean "sauce" (specifically tomato sauce). I live near a lot of Italian-Americans (and, admittedly, dine with them as often as possible because the food is fantastic), and without qualification they use the word gravy to mean (pasta) sauce. Can someone better informed than I add information about this to the article?

Acegikmo1 19:23, 9 Aug 2004 (UTC)


 * I suppose I could qualify, seeing as my grandmother was born less than a month after her parents got off the boat. Basically, "gravy" is used whenever the sauce in question is cooked with meat in it (pork, meatballs, etc.) and is usually only served with pasta. This is used by at least one family in Italy (my grandmother's cousin), and is probably more widespread than that. "Sauce" is used when it is not meat based, such marinara, most alfredo sauces, and especially pizza sauce. Counterfit 06:18, 8 July 2006 (UTC)


 * In reference to: "Italian-American gravy Within the Italian-American community, tomato based pasta sauces or marinara sauce are commonly referred to as gravy." I think it seems a bit silly to include a statement of how tomato-based sauces (like marinara) are called gravy by Italian-Americans. A common mistake in nomenclature does not a gravy make. Merriam-Webster defines gravy as "a sauce made from the thickened and seasoned juices of cooked meat" m-w.com and OED defines it as "The fat and juices that come out of meat during cooking" or "a sauce made from these juices together with stock and other ingredients." Those definitions seem to imply that a gravy must strongly feature the thickened meat juices or flavor of the meat, not merely have the meat hiding somewhere under a blanket of tomato. Since this isn't really a thickened sauce (unless tomato pulp is now a thickener...) it really isn't a gravy, regardless of what it is called.


 * This nomenclature variation would be best left to an article relating to Italian-American cuisine, perhaps to the article referring to marinara sauce. Therefore, I'm going ahead and removing it.Jo7hs2 03:10, 27 October 2007 (UTC)


 * This is years after the initial exchange, but: dictionaries document the meanings words have in langauge; they do not create that meaning. Standard English dictionaries reflect the meaning of words in standard English, but if a word persistently has a different meaning in localized commnunities, that's not an error, it's a dialect, and worth noting if we can find a cite. --Jfruh (talk) 22:29, 17 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Calling tomato sauce 'gravy' is common in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. Glkanter (talk) 16:17, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Gravy In Popular Culture
Do not delete the popular culture section. It's all valid. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.39.141.10 (talk) 16:58, 11 December 2006 (UTC).

When reading the sentence in the opening paragraph regarding ready-made cubes and powders, it implies they have been around "recently". I would question this, as Gravox, a brand in Australia, has been making Gravox powder product since 1917; that's ninety (90) years so far.

Recently, extracts have tended to be bought in the form of ready made cubes and powders. --203.19.175.105 04:21, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

The link in the first bullet under 'Gravy in popular culture' is broken. I fixed it, only for it to be automatedly reverted. maybe it should be removed altogether?

Agreed with the above. I also fixed it just to have it reverted by a bot. It should either be removed or allowed to be reverted.

--129.138.20.135 03:39, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

As a chef for twenty years, using the term "gravy" shows lack of education in culinary arts. Four of the five mother sauces can be called 'gravy' depending on the region. It is simply incorrect to do so. If i see the word 'gravy' on a menu, i think the chef is a moron or he thinks all of his clientele are. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Slabhart12797 (talk • contribs) 19:28, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Lumpy gravy
"How to Avoid Lumpy Gravy"? That's just silly. *removed* -Shai-kun 07:11, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

Just stir it, Una! Segat1 10:16, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

If a gravy has lumps, I will presume a failed attempt to make dumplings.Dnbethune (talk) 16:54, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Is Soup Gravy, Or Not?
My wife and I have gotten into a bit of an argument. She says that there is no difference, in final product, between soup and gravy. You can use soup as gravy, make soup from gravy, and eat gravy like soup. I say this is not true. Any thoughts? Should we merge gravy into soup?-- --207.225.245.31 01:51, 23 June 2007 (UTC)t. sanchez

Gazh 14:55, 23 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Gravy is thickened, soup generally is not. They are different things and should not be merged. Jo7hs2 03:11, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Has anyone ever eaten gulaschsuppe, mulligatawny or scotch broth? These could all be modified to make an excellent gravy.Dnbethune (talk) 16:54, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

British gravy renowned for being thick?
Any sources to back this up? I've only ever come across thin gravy in the UK. Segat1 23:24, 4 March 2007 (UTC) Have removed this statement. --APW 10:52, 16 June 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm sure a quick google would find something to support this as i've heard it on TV etc i'm sure.

I regularly have thick gravy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.209.61.30 (talk) 13:46, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

In the UK of today, gravy is usually served thin and pourable. These days, thick or lumpy gravy is perceived as gravy gone wrong. Thick or lumpy gravy is sometimes associated with meals served as British school dinners which were generally awful, due to cheep ingredients and the budget restraints of school caterers. Also, particularly during the post-war years when rationing was still around, people often made gravy from Bisto gravy browning because meat was expensive or simply unavailable. The result was usually a thick brown gooey sauce that tasted of nothing in particular. This type of gravy was often served up with bangers and mash (sausage and mash potato) and dishes like toad in the hole which contained meat in the form of sausages - which were usually very fatty and didn't contain much in the way of meat. The British often fondly reminisce and joke about these times, and you will have seen this referred to on TV. No doubt there are still some establishments stuck in a time warp where this type of gravy is still served but generally these times have gone. We have moved on.

In the UK the term gravy is never used in the American sense of a thickened sauce made with a roux. UK gravy is made from meat juices, sometimes combined with vegetables such as onion. It is usually reduced by boiling until it thickens naturally but it can be thickened using a little arrowroot, corn four (corn starch) or with the addition of (shock and horror!) powdered gravy browning. It is important that the gravy remains pourable, not lumpy, tastes meaty and is full of the caramelised meat juices from a roast joint of meat such as beef, chicken, turkey, lamb etc. Gravy can also be made using gravy granules which come in a packet or can however the result is inferior to real meat gravy. All other American uses of the word gravy are not used in the UK. Sauces made with a roux are generally just called sauce. White gravy doesn't exist here, it's just called white sauce. You can be sure that genuine British gravy is always brown - anything else just isn't gravy! --62.249.233.80 20:04, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I'd have to disagree, I'd say thin gravy was gravy gone wrong, maybe it's the part of the UK you're from. I'm from Yorkshire and we usually have relatively thick gravy (still relatively pourable obviously). But then I think it depends on the meal you're having, thinner gravy is generally better in something like shepherds pie or cottage pie.  I'd definitely agree however that the term "Gravy" is only generally used in the UK in relation to sauce created from meat juices.  I found it strange watching an American TV program with one of the characters referring to tomato pasta sauce as gravy. 93.97.150.79 (talk)  —Preceding undated comment was added at 19:01, 14 January 2009 (UTC).
 * Is British gravy actually called, at least by some/many, 'God's gravy'? If so is there a reference to this that can be put into the article? --Dumarest (talk) 15:16, 15 January 2009 (UTC)
 * according to the article, "'God's gravy' is a term used for juices naturally emanating from meat joints during roasting served unadulterated as gravy.[citation needed] <">
 * which - at least in my 37 years experience - has little to do with gravy as the term is understood in British cooking, it's rarely, if ever, unthickened meat juices. Ghughesarch (talk) 00:52, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Exactly the U.S. usage of gravy is just nonsensical and an attempt to force loose vernacular usage into some official usage. It's incredibly tiresome. Daisne (talk) 00:28, 16 February 2024 (UTC)

Anyone I know at home here in Canada would not consider making gravy unless the bottom of the roasting pan was covered in golden brown bits from the roasted beast. If there are no brown bits, then the meat would be removed from the pan and the pan placed on the fire to reduce the juices. The brown stuff crusting the bottom of the roaster after the water is removed is where all the flavor is. In my opinion, the amount of gravy that can be made from any roast is dependent upon the amount and quality of the brown gold stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan. If there is not very much, the flavor of the gravy will suffer and it may be best to add a bit of stock to make Au Jus. More, then I get a rich gravy that can be extended or thickened. I thicken with a mixture of flour and water or stock. Butter or heavy cream is also nice. American gravy confuses me. Using lard, flour and milk to make gravy sounds nauseating to me. Dnbethune (talk) 16:55, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Meat Juices
I think that "Hasselhoff's gravy" is vandalism, but I'm not sure; I can't verify that "Shay's gravy" is real, either. jaknouse (talk) 05:02, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Use in religious festivals
I've removed the following - seems rather unlikely (and thus should be referenced). Googling for "optimisim weddings" returns only this page, gravy + "optimism wedding" returns no hits. If you have a reliable source for this, feel free to replace it.Robhogg (talk) 20:27, 30 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Gravy is often used in religious festivals, such as Optimisim weddings where the bride and groom both have to drink from the same gravy boat, which must be made out of paper.

American or British Cuisine First
It's silly to have a minor edit war over whether American or British cuisine should come first. The American paragraph was added first and has always been the first paragraph. Changing sections around for no reason at all but national pride is a bad idea. (remember the petrol-gasoline wars!) If there is a good reason to change the article and move the British cuisine paragraph above the American one then please mention it here. Otherwise it should just be left as it always was. Winston365 (talk) 21:29, 29 March 2008 (UTC)


 * The article does read very oddly to non-Americans. It is basically about 'gravy' as the term is used in American culture and cuisine. There is a mention of other meanings in the 'Cuisines' section, but this reads like (and probably is) an afterthought. It would be better if the introductory paragraph was rewritten to explain the different uses of the term in the US and elsewhere. My suspicion is that European immigrants to the US adopted the English word 'gravy' to refer to their thickened sauces. --Ef80 (talk) 14:01, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Chips and Gravy
I have never heard of any one in Australian actually eating chips and gravy, much less thinking it was edible. This must have been added by a Macc Lads fan. Does any one disagree?Professornuke (talk) 04:09, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

In my experience, most places that sell chips offer gravy as a serving option unless they're either the sort of fish-and-chip shop that only sells seafood or a US-style fast food concern. I personally prefer to be given the gravy as a dip rather than poured over the chips, or they tend to go soggy and require a fork, but generally speaking my only fast requirement is that both the chips and the gravy must be good. Strangely enough. (I also enjoy chips with tomato sauce, mayonnaise (a habit I got the idea for from a Belgian online friend), or in a well-buttered sandwich. I'm not much one for eating them dry) Kelly holden (talk) 12:54, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Chips and Gravy is definately served in the UK, especially in the north, you can get it from various fish and chip shops. I'm also fairly sure I saw it on the menu somewhere when I was in Melbourne, Aus, and there is a website here all about chips and gravy based in Brisbane, so I would assume it is fairly widespread! http://www.chipsandgravy.com/ Philman132 (talk) 18:05, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Of course Australians consume gravy, particularly with chips. The Gravox brand has been in Australia for the better part of a century. Poutine is a local speciality at a 24 hour convenience store in my town. Albeit substituting cheese curd for "developed" cheese including but no limited to mozzarella, Australian tasty cheese or Colby cheese and being reffered to simply as "chips cheese and gravy". I will admit this generally makes the chips soggy and are only able to consumed with a fork. Safez (talk) 10:11, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

Professor Nuke wasn't querying that either gravy or chips are found in Australia, but rather the dish 'chips-and-gravy'. Frankly, I suspect he's actually a bit of a snob, and thinks Aussies-in-general don't eat chips-and-gravy because his upper-middle-class Melburnian friends don't. I mean, just because none of my family or anybody I willingly hang out with are sports-mad doesn't mean I'd doubt a statement that a love of spectator sports is part of our national character. Kelly holden (talk) 22:36, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

I lived in Newfoundland for many years and had the local dish, 'fish and chips with dressing and gravy'. this surprised me because the thought of having beef gravy with fish and chips seems bizarre to me, but it is very good as long as the gravy doesn't touch or interfere with the battered fish on my plate. (I do not like my peas touching the potatoes on my plate either.)

People as gravy
Yes, I know that has been a back-and-forth vandalism and reversion, but I think I have finally figured it out. It is Wavy Gravy [and if you don't know who that was, ask me in this discussion]. --Dumarest (talk) 11:48, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

No, seriously in the film Soylent Green they made gravy out of people. 64.222.122.138 (talk) 07:03, 4 May 2010 (UTC)

UK gravy
From my long experience as a gravy consumer, whilst it is true that in the UK gravy refers to the sauce made from the meat juices, it is not the case that it refers to the unthickened meat juices alone. They are called "the meat juices". What is the source (ha!) for saying "gravy" means the unthickened meat juices in the UK? Fainites barley scribs 13:30, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Types of Gravy
Why is Cream Gravy/Country Gravy listed second, and then White Gravy listed last? They appear to be duplicates that reference each other. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.5.214.221 (talk) 21:58, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

Cuisines
It seemed odd that this section referenced Thanksgiving outside of the paragraph that referenced US Cuisine seeing as thanksgiving is a US civic holiday. I replaced ham with stuffing as ham is more traditionally associated with Christmas and Easter (Ironic that both of these Holidays celebrate the birth or rebirth of a Jewish figure by eating pork products) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.92.90.4 (talk) 17:37, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 16:38, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

Elaborate on the "Stages in the preparation of mushroom gravy"
Perhaps someone ought to write up what each stage of the top image with the caption "Stages in the preparation of mushroom gravy" is depicting? The first two or three are clear enough but the last panel is somewhat unclear as to what's happening. 133.48.64.226 (talk) 01:07, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

1) Pick edible mushrooms. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2607:FEA8:D5E0:47B:9849:D44D:4610:24C5 (talk) 22:35, 9 November 2017 (UTC)