Gravy

Gravy ranges from “au jus,” which is thin drippin’s from a roast beef, to peppered sausage cream gravy thick as pudding and loaded with meat. A favorite adornment for southern country ham, red-eye gravy is a viscous liquid made by combining black coffee with rendered fat attained when ham slices are fried. It serves to moisten slices of the ham or as a dunk for biscuits on the side. One of the oddest American gravies is an old-time Appalachian specialty: chocolate gravy. It is a mix of cocoa powder, bacon drippings (or butter), sugar, flour, and milk. Slightly sweet, but also savory, it customarily is used to top biscuits. On another note, some Italian households refer to hearty red sauce as gravy.