The confusion lies here. Dina M. Di Maio is a New York- and Tennessee-licensed lawyer with an MFA in creative writing from NYU. It gets even more confusing when you think of Bolognese. Just because it is not a direct translation does not mean it is wrong. The “g” in the “gu” is silent or elongates the “u” sound. Nobody seems to care about where the term originated. Needless to say I grew, I learned and now I call it sauce. Anne, my grandparents came over in 1910 and my they called it GRAVY as did all the other Italian families that settled in the Mississippi Delta…….long way from the NE US. It is a fact that large numbers of Italian Americans use this term. That is actually how it is termed in the definition. BTW, I made reservations for my family for dinner at “It’s All Gravy”, Italian Restaurant in Nag’s Head, NC. This lead to a difference in opinion. Now when you start a tomato sauce with the drippings of meats ah ha you now have red GRAVY does that make any sense to those of you who call it marinara sauce? Many believe that because of this, “Gravy” should not even be an option. I was raised knowing that sauce is just that, saucy juice, without meat. Get over yourself! Ok, I am a Californian. In Middle English, its meaning was a “sauce or dressing for fish, foul [sic], or rabbit,” according to the Middle English Compendium of the University of Michigan Library, and sauce is “a condiment for meat, fish, fowl, etc., a sauce; also, a pickling liquid, brine.”, I believe the word “gravy” came with the immigrants from Italy to America and the word “ragù” is the word “gravy.”, How did I come to that startling conclusion? Therefore, it stands to reason “graue” can also be “rraù,” or ragù. How did your family pick a side? In Neapolitan, a ragù is often spelled “rraù” (like in the Eduardo de Filippo poem). Grandmother put a whole onion in her sauce to flavor it but mostly to take away the acidity of the imported Italian tomatoes available in the 1950s and ’60’s. What do you call it? I don’t remember Grandmom, from Campagna calling it either. All caps don’t make you right, sorry. To our friends we called it sauce so they would understand. I’m dedicated to the mission of the page, which is to make Italians feel more connected (and to celebrate) their life’s story and background. Granulo, “hail,” ranulo. Funny cause I’m still 100% HARDCORE Italian either way and I make everything from rainbow cookies, pignoli cookies, rice balls, panelle, and pasta Sunday is still a tradition! For me it’s neither..I grew up calling it sugo…which my parents pronounced “zoogoo”,so it’s sugo,or zoogoo. After researching, I could write a book on the subject, and I’ll post a longer piece on my blog. My grandparents were right off the boat, and always called it gravy. There could be a mini-dictionary of Italian words that people have unintentionally Americanized, but, help is on the way. They evolved over time and became something unique and separate from what exists in Italy. That is if all those years ago the British made sauces. In the same article, scholar Nancy Carnevale wonders how the Neapolitan word for tomato sauce, ragù, translated to “gravy.” She says, “Gravy is such an English word, whereas the transition from salsa to sauce is not such a big change.”, But the word “gravy” is not such an English word and neither is “sauce.” Both come from the Anglo-French and can be found in Middle English in the 14th century where “gravy” has a number of spellings, including grave, grauey, and graue. We grew up calling it sauce. All I can say is I am SO glad that when Italians came to Australia they didn’t feel the need to change things to “assimilate.” They proudly kept their language, their culture, their Italian traditions. Just like, “are you Italian or sicilian. Since ragout and ragù are different food preparations, I think they are also different words. Nov 22, 2016. The term was born out of a unique immigrant experience of a sizable segment of the Italian American population. GOT IT? I think of gravy as a smooth topping made specifically from meat drippings, with a thickening agent like flour, whisked into velvet. Once they learned it wasn’t turkey fat on pasta, then gravy. Gravy is not an Italian word. Some people think only New Yorkers or pre-WWII immigrants say gravy and that more recent immigrants say sauce. However, it’s technically correct to call it either. It is rumored that only certain areas started calling it “Gravy.” For example, many people will comment that it’s a ‘Jersey thing.’ However, I’ve heard people from all over the United States use it. Not sauce. As owner and content creator for Hardcore Italians for over 10+ years, I have seen this argument pop-up countless times. Beef, soffritto, pancetta, onions, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine, and cream or milk. “Gravy ” is strictly Northeastern United States, Jersey, New York, etc. Its a slang term I believe about testicles haha, Sorry, that’s not true. 1st gen ital/amer. Hunt's. In fact, if you even clicked opened this article instead of posted your opinion in the comments, you are one in a hundred! Italian or American region, or age doesn’t matter. It was the word we used in my family, so that’s the word I use for it when I am with them. VIDEO: Robert De Niro Slams President Trump During Al Pacino’s Award Speech, We are giving away a free Italian Horn Keychain. P.S. And who knows, perhaps another term will take gravy’s place, allowing the controversy to rage on for another 100 years. Both camps insist only “real” Italians say the word they use. A “v” in Latin and Neapolitan is spoken as a “w,” i.e., g-rau-e. Now, add the fact that Neapolitans tend to leave off the last vowel and we get just “grau.”. It’s Sauce not Gravy. Sauce vs. Gravy: The Italian Debate. This is a question that many have tried to answer before but have not been able to arrive at a conclusion. nonsense, sauce was called gravy as a ethnic put-down by the Irish in NYC circa 1900’s. All rights reserved. This is an awesome and thorough description. Should this amazing tomato and meat sauce be called “gravy” or “sauce”? It usually contains additional meat, like pork ribs, ground beef or Italian … When I was a boy my parents (1st gen Americans both of whose parents were from Naples [dad] and Bari [mom]) called meat sauce gravy, largely because my father did. . (This recipe is a delicious example!) Other success we call by there true name Ie, Spaghetti agile e olio etc. The traditional Italian-American dish with red gravy (or sauce) is based on Neapolitan ragu made with meat, tomato, and onion that’s commonly served with pasta. Yes sauce!! I was born in South Philly…, and so we and our relatives from the burbs and South Jersey too, always went with one clear distinction on this matter: IF it had MEAT in it, we called it GRAVY…PERIOD!!! Whatever name you call it, this is the epitome of Sunday dinner in my family. Many, many I am sure. In Old French, “graue” was a more popular spelling than “grave,” which leads me to believe this word originates from Latin because of the pronunciation of the “v.” It would be the same as a “u,” i.e., oo. In Italian he jokingly called it something else he refused to translate. I grew up in the New Orleans are where many Italian immigrants made their American homes. A Sunday Gravy recipe is a tomato sauce cooked along with a variety of meats including meatballs, spare ribs, sausage, and pork chops, so the sauce … Even the “Italian” food here has evolved. The publishers turned him down because “What woman needs a book to cook from”. It always sounded like the was a c instead of a g, but sugo and sauce were the only terms I ever heard. Let us know! Sauce It is called gravy. Why are Italian Americans so passionate about sauce or gravy? My dad also dropped the word and if it slipped out my mom commented on it. According to Dale Erwin and Tessa Fedele’s Neapolitan Dictionary, grattate, “to grate,” in Italian, is ratta in Neapolitan. If you’ve ever heard of Sunday gravy or Sunday sauce, that’s a variation of classic tomato sauce. If your grandfather sacrificed everything to come to America and called it Sauce/Gravy, and somebody says that’s wrong… It can definitely be aggravating. Italians in Australia, Britain and Canada don’t call sauce, gravy. If you visit Naples, you won’t find the word “gravy” on any menus. And sauce is what u dip in. Why gravy? From what gather the first and second generation italian dont call it gravy. Why are Italian Americans so passionate about sauce or gravy? If it is made with meat in it its Gravy if not its sauce. It sounded like “Capra da cots”…, That is something my grandfather from Avellino said. I call it gravy because my grandparents called it that. Join Sunday Supper, OrderISDA’s weekly e-newsletter, for the latest serving of all things Italian. Gruosso, “big,” ruosso. Both terms appear in 19th and early 20th century cookbooks, newspapers, menus, and advertising for American-type sauces/gravies. Fill cans with water, and pour in (about 6 cups). In that book he cites that “for Pomodoro and Marinara it is call sauce. Mom copied that and all was well even though it was her passion to use only Redpack canned tomatoes (from California) for her sauces. Well, all of America will recognize the term “Sauce” with no problems. For example, grazie in Italian is razia in Neapolitan. Well before tomatoes arrived in Europe from South America many hundreds of years ago and along time before Italians went to the Americas. Its sauce! My retort is, “Gravy has flour in it, but that don’t make it bread!”. An Italian from Italy will tell you you are wrong because that’s not how ‘they’ say it. To me gravy is something that you put on chicken, turkey, steak, pork or mashed potatoes. Grotto, “cave,” rotta. is an Italian-American blog covering Italian news, culture, recipes, videos, and more! Make the pledge and become a member of Italian Sons and Daughters of America today! For instance: ristorante, trattoria and osteria -- they're all restaurants, but they're all very different. Both sets of my grandparents called it gravy so I will not call it anything else. Eventbrite - The Dojo of Comedy presents Gravy vs Sauce Evening of Italian American Comedy - Saturday, August 1, 2020 at The Dojo of Comedy at Tiff's, Morris Plains, NJ. This is exactly what the article explains, there is no word for gravy in Italian. 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Sunday Supper, OrderISDA ’ s not true their preference defend my fellow Italian.. Goes on turkey for ME but I think it ’ s ok to italian gravy vs sauce I grew I... Longer piece on my blog pasta and are shocked by the copious amounts used in the.... The topic exist in Italy like flour, whisked into velvet in law insists on calling it so...

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