au jus
Definition
- Adjective:
- Served with its natural juices or gravy: Describes a dish, typically roasted meat, that is accompanied by the juices that were released during its cooking process.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The menu featured prime rib au jus.
- For a richer flavor, the turkey was served au jus.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in restaurant menus to indicate that a meat dish comes with its natural pan drippings or a light gravy made from them, rather than a separate, heavier sauce.
- It is almost exclusively used postpositively (after the noun it modifies), as in "beef au jus."
Variants and Related Words
- Jus (noun): The juices themselves, often reduced and seasoned, that are served with the meat.
- The chef prepared a simple jus from the roast's drippings.
Synonyms
- With its own juices
- In its gravy
Notes on Usage
- "Au jus" is a loan phrase from French, literally meaning "with juice." In English, it functions as an adjective. A common usage error is to treat it as a noun (e.g., "served with au jus"); the correct phrasing is "served au jus" or "with jus."
- It is most commonly associated with roasted beef dishes like prime rib or French dip sandwiches.
Adjective
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served in its natural juices or gravy
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roast beef au jus
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