Question for Italians (New York, York, Italy: neighborhood, vs, eat)

[Cupcake77]

Posting here since I think NY or NJ has the highest population of Italians.

When it comes to spaghetti, what do you call the tomato sauce with it? sauce or gravy? Seems to be a big debate on this. Doesn't matter to me either way. I am assuming it might be a regional thing.

[garmin239]

People call it both aroun here.

[no8fann]

I am from an Italian family, and I grew up in Upstate NY - I have NEVER heard it called gravy! Gravy is something brown you put on turkey and potatoes!

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by no8fann

I am from an Italian family, and I grew up in Upstate NY - I have NEVER heard it called gravy! Gravy is something brown you put on turkey and potatoes!

You are correct!!!!! I have never heard a New Yorker call it "gravy!"

[Walter Greenspan]

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For a discussion of sauce vs gravy: "Gravy" or "sauce"? - ChefTalk Cooking Forums
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If you haven't already done so, you might want to post your question at https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/.
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[ABQConvict]

I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in (very) southern Westchester.

'Sauce' all the way.

I think 'gravy' is a NJ/Philly thing?


ABQConvict

[sandinmyshoes]

Tomato sauce.Gravy was what came with pot roast and noodles or roast beef and mashed potatos.Nobody said please pass the sauce while eating turkey either.
Man i'm hungry now.

[proulxfamily]

Not Italian but am surrounded by those who are. LOL - the only people who say gravy, in my experience, are Pittsburgh blue-collar Italians... a few generations ago, from there, and it went down in the family.

Other Italian-ness, if you're interested-

The Italian families whose ancestors came from northern Italy say everything shorter.

Biscotti > bish-gaught
Ricotta > rig-aught
Pasta Fagioli > pasta fuh-zool
Manicotti > men-i-gaught
Prosciutto > Pruh-jute (soft j)

Growing up around them, this is how I say it too. I actually have one of my short stories that was assigned in 3rd grade... one of the sentences was, "We had bishgots for breakfast yesterday." lol

[pburgess68]

My great grandmother was born in Italy, and my grandmother called it gravy. I call it sauce. If you look in an Italian cookbook, say from Biba, her recipes all translate into "sauce", not gravy.

We had a big debate on this on Facebook with friends of mine back home. She called it gravy. I had to whip out my cookbooks (I have over 100 of them lol), and various history of cooking books, and no where to be found was a reference to "gravy" referring to tomato sauce.

To the above poster: for the most part you are correct, but that is more Americanized Italian. City speak. Biscotti should be pronounced bis-kot-tee, with a light sounding "tee", same with ricotta, etc. Oh god, I miss NY. I WANT TO GO HOMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEE

[B4U]

Originally Posted by proulxfamily

The Italian families whose ancestors came from northern Italy say everything shorter.

Biscotti > bish-gaught
Ricotta > rig-aught
Pasta Fagioli > pasta fuh-zool
Manicotti > men-i-gaught
Prosciutto > Pruh-jute (soft j)

l

I'm first gen. american on my father's side. He/his family was from a small town in the Messina region of Sicily. We grew up saying the words above the same way along with shortening alot of other words.
I just thought that was Jersey-Italian. LOL!

But getting back to the original question - "sauce" here too.

Another question might be - who calls pasta "noodles"? I never heard it called that til I started meeting people from the midwest.
Or, another question; - do you distinguise spagetti, or any long pasta from macaroni?
When we serve long pasta - spagetti, fusilli, linguini, fettucini, we call it what it is.
When we serve any kind of short pasta; ziti, cavatelli (cavatells), rotini,
penne, etc., we just say we're having "pasta". Stuffed pasta is called whatever it is; manicott(i), lasagna,etc.
Anybody else do this?

Fun question, Cupcake77.