Sometimes it’s not necessarily the meat, vegetables or pasta that you’re excited about eating. Sometimes it’s mainly about what you’re putting on top! Raise your hand if you know what we’re talking about.
Plain mashed potatoes? We don’t think so. Ladle on the gravy!
What about biscuits? Roasted turkey and stuffing? You got it. Bring on the gravy!
A plate full of plain pasta noodles? Not in Wonderopolis! You’d better have a simmering pot of pasta sauce to cover those noodles.
Sauce and gravy make so many dishes so much better. But what’s the difference between the two? And why do some Italian-Americans call their pasta sauce gravy?
Gravy is usually considered a type of sauce. It’s often made from meat juices combined with broth or milk and thickened with a starch. The meat juices are often the liquids left after roasting a cut of meat for an extended period of time.
There are many different types and flavors of gravy. Some people prefer a light gravy to enhance the flavor of meats and side dishes. Other people prefer a thicker, heartier gravy to top plain vegetables and pastas. Making great gravy is an inexact science. You’ll have to rely on your cook’s eye to judge the gravy as it’s cooking. Frequent sampling will also ensure you get the gravy you want!
A sauce, on the other hand, isn’t necessarily meat-based. Instead of just a byproduct of roasting meat, sauces are carefully-mixed combinations of multiple ingredients. In the culinary arts, for example, there are five sauces known as the “mother sauces.” They’re called “mother sauces” because they’re like the heads of five distinct sauce families that many other sauces can be made from.
The five “mother sauces” are Béchamel (a white sauce), Velouté (a light stock-based sauce), Espagnole (a brown stock-based sauce), Hollandaise (a creamy, emulsified sauce), and Tomato (arguably the most popular sauce that forms the basis of spaghetti and pizza sauces). From these five basic sauces, hundreds, if not thousands, of other sauces can be made.
If you’re an Italian-American who loves pasta, you might love tomato gravy on spaghetti. Tomato gravy? Don’t we mean sauce? Well, that’s where the debate begins…
What many Americans call tomato sauce, Italian-Americans call gravy. Is there a difference? There might be. Many Italian-Americans use tomato “sauce” to refer to a simple, light, quickly-made topping for pasta.
Gravy, on the other hand, takes all day to cook. It’s rich and thick and full of meats and vegetables. It’s closer to what Italian-Americans call a ragù, which is like a tomato stew with meat and vegetables that’s used as both a pasta topping and a standalone dish.
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Thoughts, connections, questions: I didn’t know Italians call tomato sauce gravy (Jovon). I think sauce is better than gravy (Bryan, Cassie). Why does gravy look that way (David)? When was pasta first made (Elijah)? Does gravy have to only be made that way (Sierra)? How many kinds and flavors of gravy can you make (Stevie, Erica)?
Predictions: How many movies are made in a year (Cassie)? How are movies made (ZaKayla)? How can people draw cartoons (Bryan)? How do you do a magic trick (Erica)? Why do people have town meetings (Christian)? Have you ever seen a magician (Stephanie)?
Hey there, Wonder Friends in Mrs. VanDusen’s Class! Thanks for sharing all your awesome comments with us, Jovon, Bryan, Cassie, David, Elijah, Sierra, Stevie, and Erica! We think it’s cool that you’ve been sharing your own thoughts about your sauce and gravy preferences! We’ve got a pasta Wonder for you to enjoy… sauce would be a great topping!
Wonder #95– Why Does Pasta Come in So Many Shapes? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-pasta-come-in-so-many-shapes/
We are excited about all your super guesses for tomorrow, Cassie, ZaKayla, Bryan, Erica, Christian, and Stephanie! We look forward to WONDERing with you soon!
Mmmmmm that’s looking good from my point of view. I didn’t know that Italians called tomato sauce gravy. Is tomorrow going to be about some kind of show…?
We’re so glad you learned something new, Michael! In Italy, pasta “sauce” takes a very long time to prepare– it stews and cooks for hours! Sometimes true Italian pasta sauce is more like a gravy, or a ragu! We Wonder if you like to cook?
Thanks for telling us about your prediction for tomorrow… we are glad you’re using context clues!
Please tell me tomorrow’s wonder of the day. For some reason I think we’re going to learn about more cooking.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Katelyn! We can’t wait to find out what the next Wonder of the Day® will be– we’re still guessing!
We’ve got lots of food Wonders for you to enjoy, check them out: http://wonderopolis.org/category/food/
It kind of depends on what I am eating but mostly sauce.
That’s good to know, Wonder Friend Hunter! Mashed potatoes are delicious with gravy, but pizza is often best with tomato sauce! We’re always open to new recipes that help us think outside the box, and go outside our tasty comfort zones!
MMMMMMM!!!
That Look Wonderfully Wonderful!!! 
That Looks good
I Wonder What The Next Wonder Will Be I Wonder If It Will
Be…..Uh….A Ball Game Maybe!!!
I Can’t Wait To Find Out
(Wow I Was The First 1 To Comment!!!)
Hey there, Wonder Friend Max! Today’s Wonder is making us hungry (that happens a lot at Wonderopolis)! Thank you for visiting us today and sharing your comment, too! We love to hear that you enjoyed today’s Wonder topic! Have you ever made sauce or gravy, or perhaps you have helped a family member while preparing dinner? We hope you’ll try it for yourself one day– they can be made in lots of different ways! Thanks for telling us about your prediction for tomorrow’s Wonder!
Check out this Wonder from the past– it’s a home run! Wonder #751– Where’s Your Favorite Ballpark? http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/wheres-your-favorite-ballpark/
I didn’t know you can make gravy. I thought you just mix sauces together. (Sigh) I wish I was at school today. But I’m sick. D:
Tomorrow’s prediction- Why do we need a perfect attendance?
We hope you’re feeling well soon, Wonder Friend Ky Duyen Quang! We’re happy that you’re still WONDERing even though you’re not in school today! Thank you for sharing your awesome guess, too! You ROCK!
Hey wonderopolis I leaned a lot today I didn’t know that you could make gravy that fast also that video made me hungry. As soon as I get out of school I’m going to make some gravy it looks really good yum bye.
How cool– it’s fun to learn something new with a great Wonder Friend like you, Jewels! Thanks for telling us all about what you learned today… today’s Wonder is making us really hungry, too! We’re going to have a healthy snack in a little bit, perhaps we’ll have an apple with some peanut butter… or even some carrots! YUM! We hope you and your family can make gravy or sauce soon– we bet it would be an awesome culinary adventure!
Hey wonderopolis can you try and make the videos the best?! This one was good but I think you can do better!
Hey there, Wonder Friend Dylan! We really appreciate your comment– we’re always looking for great ideas for Wonders and videos! We Wonder what your favorite topic to Wonder about is!?
Could you guys give me a hint for tomorrow’s wonder of the day? I’m really curious for tomorrow’s wonder.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Tony! We are so excited for tomorrow’s Wonder… it’s going to come out of nowhere! Thanks for visiting us today– we hope to Wonder with you soon!
I like gravy more.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Eriaunna! YUM! We Wonder what your favorite recipe, that includes gravy, is?
Dear Wonderopolis,
Our class poll shows:
9 people like sauce.
6 people like gravy.
1 person doesn’t like sauce or gravy.
Our favorite foods that contain sauces and gravy are pizza, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, meatballs, and pizza dippers.
We read a Dav Pilkey story today called Dogzilla. We noticed that the town was called Mouseopolis. This made us think of Wonderopolis!
Think Spring!
Ms. Uppena’s Super Sleuths
Hello Super Sleuths! We’re thinking Spring here at Wonderopolis– we’re sending sunshine you’re way!
We are so happy you shared your class poll results! It sounds like you’ve got a LOT of pizza lovers in your class! YUM!
Also, thank you so much for telling us about the connection you made between Mouseopolis and Wonderopolis! We Wonder if we can visit Mouseopolis… we think it sounds really cool!
Hi Wonderpolis!
This wondering made us think about what we prefer as a class. We found that most of our class prefers sauce over gravy!
Perhaps we will have to create some saucey work!
From Miss Zap’s Class.
We LOVE that you’ve been WONDERing with us today, Miss Zap’s Class! Thank you for sharing your comment and what you learned about everyone’s sauce and gravy tastes! We hope you’ll try a new recipe or two with a sauce of your choice! YUM! Thanks for visiting us!
I think it’s cool how butter, drippings from a turkey, chicken stock and flour makes gravy with the fat separator. Notice: I noticed the welcome sign.
Hey there, Wonder Friend Katelyn! We think kitchen tools, like the fat separator are awesome, too! We learned a lot about cooking today, thanks to the Wonder video! Great work!
Hey I’m in Mrs. Hess’ class and my teacher said that she never put sauce on anything. Tomorrow’s wonder is about why do you need perfect attendance on istep days.
I’m sorry that my class didn’t wonder today I did get to but we did read the wonder. Maybe we will see you tommorow at the cool wonder all my classmates wanted to but we had to focus on the Iditarod and I hope you WONDER with us with our own WONDER in our class. Sorry but we never can wonder with 4 students out. SORRY
I choose gravy!!!!! YUMM.. you guys made me hungry.
Now I can’t stop thinking about lunch coming up soon.
We’ve got lots of Wonders to share about delicious foods of all sorts, Wonder Friend Elizabeth! Check out our food category here: http://wonderopolis.org/category/food/
We hope your lunch was delicious and artistic! Thanks for visiting us!
Dear wonderopolis I like gravy and sauce.
YUM, thank you for letting us know, Wonder Friend Willy! We love both gravy and sauce, but it depends on what we’re eating… sometimes pasta and gravy just don’t go together as well as pasta and sauce!
I like gravy and sauce on different things.
I don’t know.