Rice and gravy is a
staple
Staple may refer to:
*Staple food, a foodstuff that forms the basic constituent of a diet
*Staple (fastener), a small formed metal fastener
**Surgical staple
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Staple (band), a Christian post-hardcore band
** ''Stap ...
of
Louisiana Creole and
Cajun cuisine,
made by
deglazing a pan to make brown
gravy, simmered with extra seasonings, and served over steamed or boiled
rice.
Preparation
Rice has been a major agricultural export crop in southwest
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
since the late 1800s
[ and has become a staple of local cuisine in dishes such as boudin, gumbo and étouffée. Rice and gravy is traditionally made from cheaper cuts of meat and cooked in a cast iron pot for a long time in order to let the tough cuts of meat become ]tender
Tender may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Illegal Tender'' (2007), a film directed by Franc. Reyes
* ''Tender'' (2012), a short film by Liz Tomkins
* ''Tender'' (2019), a short film by Darryl Jones and Anthony Lucido
* ''Tender'' (2019), a sh ...
.[ Beef, pork, chicken or any other meat can be used in its preparation. Fattier cuts of beef and pork, as well as chicken, squirrel, rabbit, turkey necks, wild pig, and duck lend themselves more easily to the making of the gravy, while ]venison
Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible ...
and leaner cuts of beef and pork are more difficult to make tender, but can be helped by adding andouille sausage or cured pork tasso to the dish during the browning or smothering
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
process.onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...
s, bell peppers, and celery in roughly equal quantities, although other vegetables can also be used.
Originally a dish favored by farmers and laborers, it is now often served in local plate lunch
The plate lunch ( haw, pā mea ʻai) is a quintessentially Hawaiian meal, roughly analogous to Southern U.S. meat-and-threes. However, the pan-Asian influence on Hawaiian cuisine, and its roots in the Japanese bento, make the plate lunch uniq ...
houses. ''Raised on Rice and Gravy'', a 2009 documentary film by Conni Castille and Allison Bohl, chronicles the prevalence of the dish at local plate lunch houses and its enduring popularity in Acadiana cuisine. Abbeville native Bobby Charles' Rice 'N' Gravy Records is named for the popular dish. Acadian Village in Lafayette is home to the annual "Rice and Gravy Cook-Off" sponsored by the Louisiana Beef Council.
Gallery
File:Smothered pork roast rice and gravy HRoe 2012.jpg, Smothered pork roast rice and gravy
File:Garys Hamburger steak with rice and gravy HRoe 2012.jpg, Hamburger steak
Hamburg steak is a patty of ground beef. Made popular worldwide by migrating Germans, it became a mainstream dish around the start of the 19th century. It is similar to Salisbury steak. It is considered the origin of the ubiquitous hamburger ...
with rice and gravy plate lunch
The plate lunch ( haw, pā mea ʻai) is a quintessentially Hawaiian meal, roughly analogous to Southern U.S. meat-and-threes. However, the pan-Asian influence on Hawaiian cuisine, and its roots in the Japanese bento, make the plate lunch uniq ...
File:Garys Smothered steak rice and gravy HRoe 2012.jpg, Smothered steak rice and gravy plate lunch
See also
* Dirty rice
* Red beans and rice
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Cuisine of the United States
Cajun cuisine
Cuisine of New Orleans
American rice dishes