Gravy is a kind of sauce created from juices that are produced from meats or vegetables in the process of cooking. Although gravy can be prepared from scratch, there are also canned ones that are available in supermarkets or food retail stores. Gravy is usually served with deep fried foods, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, roasts and rice.

Types of Gravy

Chocolate gravy is one that is made from fat, cocoa powder, flour and a little sugar. This type is more common in the Southern part of the United States and is served with biscuits. Cream gravy is made by adding milk to roux. The mixture is then seasoned with pepper and salt. This type of gravy is commonly served with chicken-fried steak. Onion gravy is made from a lot of onions that have been slowly-sweated. The onions are chopped and mixed with wine and stock. This type of gravy is commonly served with eggs, chops, fried meats and grilled meats. Egg gravy is made from meat droppings (most commonly bacon) and flour, producing a roux that is thick in consistency. It is then seasoned with pepper and salt and added with milk and water. Egg (well-beaten) is then slowly added to the constantly whisked gravy. This allows for the egg to be cooked immediately and be separated into small bits. This type of gravy is normally served with biscuits.

Other types of gravy include giblet gravy, red-eye gravy, spiced gravy, tomato gravy, vegetarian gravy and sawmill gravy.

Nutrition in Gravy

For a homemade beef gravy, four tablespoons of it usually contains 30 calories, 1 gram fat, 4 grams carbohydrates and 2 grams protein. For homemade chicken gravy, one-fourth cup of it usually contains 40 calories, 3 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates and zero grams protein. For homemade turkey gravy, 1 ounce of it usually contains 12 calories, 0.5 grams fat, 1.4 grams carbohydrates and 0.5 grams protein. For brown gravy (homemade), a cup of it usually contains 250 calories, 25 grams carbohydrates and 3 grams protein.

Generally, nutrition content will depend on the ingredients that are used in making the gravy.

Gravy Health Concerns

Studies have shown that gravy made from well-done beef contains heterocyclic amines. These amines are considered to be potentially carcinogenic to humans. As there are many different types of gravy, the ingredients with which it has been prepared will be the deciding factor over whether that kind of gravy can be considered unhealthy. Like all types of food, gravy, when consumed in moderation, generally will not cause health concerns.