Biscuits and gravy is a popular breakfast dish in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, especially in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. The dish consists of soft dough

biscuits A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...

covered in white

gravy Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of sa ...

(sawmill gravy), made from the drippings of cooked pork

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

, flour, milk, and often (but not always) bits of sausage,

bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

ground beef Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder (American English), mincer or mincing machine (British English). It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, ...

, or other meat. The gravy is often flavored with

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

History

The meal emerged as a distinct regional dish after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

(1775–1783), when stocks of foodstuffs were in short supply. Breakfast was necessarily the most substantial meal of the day for a person facing a day of work on the

plantations in the American South A plantation complex in the Southern United States is the built environment (or complex) that was common on agricultural plantations in the American South from the 17th into the 20th century. The complex included everything from the main resid ...

. In addition, the lack of supplies and money meant it had to be cheap. Restaurant chains specializing in biscuits and gravy include Biscuitville, in Virginia and North Carolina, and

Tudor's Biscuit World Tudor's Biscuit World is a restaurant chain and franchise based in Huntington, West Virginia, most commonly found in West Virginia. Many West Virginia locations share a building with Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti, although the chain is more extens ...

, in West Virginia.

Variations

Tomato gravy is white gravy mixed with crushed or diced tomatoes.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Biscuits And Gravy Cuisine of the Southern United States Cuisine of the Midwestern United States Bread dishes Food combinations American breakfast foods Sausage dishes American pork dishes

History

Variations

See also

References

External links