Gravy Day

Gravy. freefoodphotos.com / CC BY 3.0

The 21st of December is Gravy Day.

Gravy Day was born out of the most popular Christmas song in Australia, which is “How To Make Gravy”, written in 1996 by Paul Kelly, an Australian musician.

In the song, a man (Joe) writes a letter on the 21st December to his family. The key message in the song is “Who’s going to make the gravy?”

Since then the song and concept has taken on a life of its own, with a whole day around it. Local radio stations get swamped with requests for the song on this day.

The song even gives a recipe for making gravy, though some people complain about the suggested ingredients in the song:

“Just add flour, salt, a little red wine. And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce [e.g. ketchup] for sweetness and that extra tang.”

Paul Kelly later said:

“Sometimes I got into trouble for that recipe; every now and then a foodie comes up to me and says, ‘you don’t put tomato sauce in gravy’,” he said. ^[1]Paul Kelly shares the story behind his How to Make Gravy Christmas anthem. 21 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/good-news/2018/12/21/make-gravy-paul-kelly-christmas/

You could make your gravy for Christmas today, and freeze it, so that it is one less thing to worry about making on the big day.

#gravyday #putyourgravyout

See also: Gravy, Gravy Ladles, Bisto, Gravy Fries, Cream Gravy, Gravy Browning, Kitchen Bouquet

Recipes

Blue Cheese Gravy

Sources

Barr, Sabrina. What is gravy day and why are Australians celebrating it? London, England: The Independent. 21 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/gravy-day-australia-celebrate-paul-kelly-song-how-to-make-december-a8693961.html

BBC. Why Australians are celebrating ‘gravy day’. 21 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46642690

Gravy Day: Why Australians are celebrating an unusual tradition. Irish News. 21 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/daily/2018/12/21/news/australia-celebrates-gravy-day-in-memory-of-classic-song-1513827/

Gravy day open thread: How to make gravy – from Paul Kelly to Nigel Slater. Manchester, England. The Guardian. 21 December 2018. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/21/open-thread-how-to-make-gravy-from-paul-kelly-to-nigel-slater

Paul Kelly fans celebrate National Gravy Day with posts on social media. 21 December 2017. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/paul-kelly-fans-celebrate-national-gravy-day-with-posts-on-social-media/news-story/4cb0c470d0e683b4d0002c3613fcfa85

Tyeson, Cam. Folks, It’s The Gravy Day. 21 December 2017. Accessed November 2020 at https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/folks-its-gravy-day/