Sauce? Sugo? Gravy? Or Something Else Entirely?
Every Italian family has that one debate that never seems to end. Is it sauce, sugo, or gravy simmering away on Sunday? To some, it’s simply “Sunday Sauce.” To others, it’s sugu, passed down from nonna. And for Italian-Americans in New York or Philadelphia? It’s proudly “gravy.”
One pot. A hundred names. A thousand opinions.
So how did this humble tradition stir up so much cultural passion? Let’s dig in.
Before Tomatoes, There Was No “Red Sauce”
In Sicily and across the Italian mainland, the earliest sauces weren’t tomato-based at all. Centuries before Columbus returned from the Americas with tomatoes in tow, Italians were simmering meats, fish, and vegetables into rich reductions. These early sauces were flavored with wine, herbs, and spices, the heart of the Mediterranean long before a tomato ever touched Italian soil.
When tomatoes finally arrived in the 16th century, many Italians believed they were poisonous. (Blame the nightshade family for that bad reputation.) But by the 1700s, brave cooks in Naples and Sicily started experimenting.
The result? A slow-simmered red base they called sugu from the Latin succus, meaning “juice” or “sap.” It was rustic, rich, and it became the soul of southern Italian cooking.
Crossing the Atlantic: The Birth of “Gravy”
Fast forward to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Millions of southern Italians left for America, bringing their recipes, their dialects, and their traditions with them. But the new world was different: meat was more available and more affordable than in the old country.
Tomato sauce, once flavored by just a few cuts of pork or beef now become heavy with meatballs, sausages, and braciole. Families in cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia adapted their Sunday pots into something heartier.
That’s where “gravy” comes in. Borrowing from English, Italian-Americans began using the term to describe their meat-based sauce. By the 1920s, “Sunday Gravy” was an identity marker, a way for immigrant families to blend their Italian roots with their American life.
What Italians Actually Say
Here’s the truth: in Italy, no one calls it gravy. Not once. Not ever.
Instead:
- Sugo → tomato-based sauce without meat.
- Ragù → meat-based sauce, like Ragù alla Bolognese.
- U’ sugu ri casa → in Sicily, simply “the house sauce,” nonna’s special recipe.
It’s regional. It’s generational. And it’s deeply personal.
So, Which One Is Right? Sauce? Sugo? Gravy?
The answer is simple: all of them.
What you call it depends on where your family came from, how they adapted in America, and what tradition was passed down to you.
The beauty of Italian culture, whether in food, family, or jewelry, is that it carries memory. Every word, every recipe, every charm or pendant has a story behind it. Just like a gold cornicello or an heirloom cameo, your “sauce” story connects you back to the people and places that made you who you are.
Join the Conversation
So now we ask you:
- Do you say sauce, sugo, or gravy?
- Where does your family come from?
- What’s simmering in your Sunday pot?
Share your story in the comments below and while you’re here, explore our Italian heritage jewelry collection that celebrates the traditions we keep alive, from the kitchen table to the jewelry box.
Whether it’s called sugo or gravy, it all comes from the same place: love, family, and roots.
From Sunday Sauce to the Cornicello — every tradition tells a story. Wear yours with pride.
At The Italian Jewelry Company, we believe traditions aren’t just lived around the Sunday table — they’re worn, cherished, and passed down just like a family recipe. From the protective power of the cornicello, to timeless cameos, to elegant gold chains and saint medals, every piece in our collection is designed to honor Italian heritage with beauty and authenticity. Just as your nonna’s sugo connects you to generations before, our handcrafted jewelry connects you to the heart of Italy. Explore our collections at TheItalianJewelryCompany.com and carry a piece of la dolce vita with you, wherever life takes you.
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