A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but call it something like Atomic Blonde, and only a niche portion of the population is going to have any idea what you’re talking about. But, just like the Atomic Blonde is still a rose, so too is tomato sauce gravy, and tomato gravy, sauce. The usage is regional, sometimes even down to household address, and if you’ve been saying it one way, you’ve probably been saying it like that for as long as you can remember.
Those who have been introduced to whichever opposing term later in life will remember exactly where they were when sauce suddenly became gravy or vice versa. It might have been in the home of a beloved future in-law, in a darkened movie theater, or while languidly browsing the internet. Your first entrée into the gravy twilight zone might have been a promise to pair “gravy” with “noodles” (yet another interchangeable moniker that Italians raise their eyebrows at). Of course, in most cases the dish in question will simply end up being spaghetti served with red sauce. The important thing, though, is whether you’re calling it gravy and noodles, or sauce and spaghetti, this delicious meal will taste the same.
Grave arguments and saucy comebacks in the age-old sauce and gravy debate
Pedants, prepare to bristle. Like the origin of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, there is no formal account of when, why, or how camps first became divided in the sauce vs. gravy war. Concerns over whether the tomato-based pasta accompaniment is identified as gravy or sauce are particularly heightened in Italian-American households, with many on the sauce side pointing out that the most common word for the foodstuff back in the Republic is “sugo” — which you can probably tell does not translate to “gravy.” Some folks will even assert that there is just “no such thing” as gravy in Italy, but, as of this writing, neither is there any official embargo against the stuff.
Dedicated gravy-sayers might remark that the more substantial sounding “gravy” denotes heartier varieties, chock full of meat and bone marrow and left to simmer all day, which uncovers a possible link between the words “gravy and “ragù.” But even that theoretical explanation is only occasional. It also doesn’t account for how you’ll still catch them calling even basic tomato sauces by the weightier name. Like the great hotdog-sandwich meditation, or musings on whether cereal is actually soup, the stakes here should be kept low. And if someone’s going to all the trouble of cooking for you, just say thank you and follow their lead.
