Ok, all you foodies out there, let’s chime in on this one!
The term, “au jus” is French. The definition is “with juice”. That’s it, plain and simple. In French, the word “au” translates to the word “with” and “jus” is “juice”. Couldn’t be any more plain, could it? Then why do I have to cringe when reading menus and listening to many, schooled chefs stating, “serving this meat with au jus”. Don’t they know they just said they are “serving this meat with WITH juice”?
The proper term in this case would be “serving this meat au jus.” Why is this so hard for so many people to grasp? I think it all started with the American version of the French Dip sandwich. The menu would state French Dip au Jus. That’s proper. But then the customers or waiters somewhere along the way started requesting more “au jus” with it and therein lies the problem. Both food servers and customers started to think the actual juice was called “au jus” and it became the norm.
Arugh! I can’t stand to see otherwise intellegent people bastardize this French phrase in that way, but I guess I have much more important things to get upset about so I will let this one ride…but please keep this in mind the next time you want more juice with that sandwich!
Butter in My Veins! 