When gravy first appeared in English at the end of the fourteenth century it referred to a fancy sauce for white meat made from broth, almond milk, wine, and spices; it was not until the end of the sixteenth century that it came to mean a sauce made from meat juices. The source of this word is the French grane, which medieval English cooks—studying the much esteemed French recipe books—misread as grave, which in turn soon became gravy. Why the French named the original sauce grane is unclear: perhaps the name alluded to the “grains” of spices flavouring the sauce, spices such as grain de poivre, meaning peppercorn. If this really is the origin of the French grane, then both it and gravy are related to other words that derive from the same “grainy” source, including pomegranate, grenadine, and grenade.
A condiment meant for meat, particularly one that utilizes the residue accumulated at the bottom of the pan as a constituent of the fluid. The appearance of the gravy may either be crystal clear or turbid, tawny or ivory, contingent on the elements and the modus operandi employed for its concoction.
Gravy is a sauce made from the juices which are released from meat during cooking. These juices can be thickened, diluted or concentrated, and sometimes extra flavorings are added. However, it is important not to add too much seasoning as it can mask the natural flavor of the meat.