Chocolate gravy is a variety of gravy made with cocoa powder, sugar, butter and flour and is part of traditionalAppalachian cuisine. It is most often served as a Sunday morning dish with freshbiscuits in theOzark[1] andAppalachian Mountain[2] regions.
The origins of chocolate gravy are unknown.The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America describes it as a traditional part ofMelungeon cuisine.[3] It theorizes that chocolate gravy might be connected to the use of chocolate in Mexican cuisine, having been transmitted through trade betweenSpanish Louisiana and theTennessee Valley.[4] Professor Fred Sauceman theorized that it might have developed more recently asHershey's cocoa powder became popular in the United States.[5]
Typical chocolate gravy recipes call for milk, sugar, cocoa powder, flour and a fat such as butter[6][7] lard, or bacon grease.[8] Milk is commonly used as the liquid in chocolate gravy, while some recipes use water.[9] Some recipes devised in eastern Oklahoma use more sugar, and butter is added after the gravy is complete, making it similar to warm chocolate pudding served over biscuits.[10] In a traditional gravy, a roux is made with fat and flour before the milk is added; in chocolate gravy all the dry ingredients are mixed first, milk slowly incorporated, then stirred continuously until cooked. When a thick and rich consistency is achieved, the butter and vanilla are added. Other ingredients, such as crumbled bacon, are usually added afterward near the end of preparation.[11]
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