A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, peppers and tomatoes) or meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), allowing flavors to mingle.
Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.
Stews may be thickened by reduction or with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of fat and flour. Thickeners like cornstarch or arrowroot may also be used.
Stews are similar to soups, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two. Generally, stews have less liquid than soups, are much thicker and require longer cooking over low heat. While soups are almost always served in a bowl, stews may be thick enough to be served on a plate with the gravy as a sauce over the solid ingredients.
Stews have been made since ancient times. Herodotus says that the Scythians (8th to 4th centuries BC) "put the flesh into an animal's paunch, mix water with it, and boil it like that over the bone fire. The bones burn very well, and the paunch easily contains all the meat once it has been stripped off. In this way an ox, or any other sacrificial beast, is ingeniously made to boil itself."
Amazonian tribes used the shells of turtles as vessels, boiling the entrails of the turtle and various other ingredients in them. Other cultures used the shells of large mollusks (clams etc.) to boil foods in. There is archaeological evidence of these practices going back 8,000 years or more.
There are recipes for lamb stews and fish stews in the Roman cookery book Apicius, believed to date from the 4th century AD. Le Viandier, one of the oldest cookbooks in French, written in the early 14th century by the French chef known as Taillevent, has ragouts or stews of various types in it.
The first written reference to 'Irish stew' is in Byron's "The Devil's Drive" (1814): "The Devil ... dined on ... a rebel or so in an Irish stew." Stew is traditionally known as an English dish and has been a household favorite for centuries.
In meat-based stews, white stews, also known as blanquettes or fricassées, are made with lamb or veal that is blanched, or lightly seared without browning, and cooked in stock. Brown stews are made with pieces of red meat that are first seared or browned, before a browned mirepoix and sometimes browned flour, stock and wine are added.
Baeckeoffe, a potato stew from AlsaceBeef bourguignon, a French dish of beef stewed in red burgundy wineBeef Stroganoff, a stew with beef from RussiaBigos, a traditional stew in Polish cuisineBirria, a goat stew from MexicoBo Kho, (Vietnamese: bò kho), a beef stew in rich seasonings, served with bread, noodle or plain rice from VietnamBollito Misto, consisting of beef, veal, and pork simmered in an aromatic vegetable broth from ItalyBooyah, an American meat stewBosnian Pot, a stew with beef or lamb which is a national dish in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBouillabaisse, a fish stew from ProvenceBrunswick stew, from Virginia and the CarolinasBurgoo, a Kentuckian stewCaldeirada, a fish stew from PortugalCarbonade flamande, a traditional Belgian beef and onion stew made with Belgian beerCassoulet, a French bean stewCawl, a Welsh stewChakapuli, a Georgian stew made with lamp chops, coriander and tarragon leaves and white wineChanakhi, a Georgian lamb stew with tomatoes, aubergines, potatoes, greens and garlicCharquicán, a Chilean dishChankonabe, a Japanese dish flavoured with soy sauce or miso. Chankonabe is traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlersChicken stew, whole chicken and seasoningsChicken paprikash, chicken stew with paprikaChili con carne, Mexican-American meat and chili pepper stewChili sin carne, a meatless American adaptation of the Mexican dishChilorio, a pork stew from Sinaloa, MexicoCincinnati chili, chili developed by Greek immigrants in the Cincinnati areaCholent, a slow-cooked Jewish dishChorba (also spelt "Shorba"), a stew like soup dish found in various Middle Eastern, Central Asian, South Asian and European cuisinesCochinita pibil, an orange color pork stew from Yucatán Peninsula, MexicoCocido montañés or Highlander stew, a bean and pork meat stew from Cantabria, SpainCotriade, a fish stew from BrittanyCozido, a traditional Portuguese stew; in Spain, it is called cocidoCream stew, a yōshoku Japanese white stewCrow stew, a sour cream-based stew made with crow meat, popular in the United States during the Great DepressionDaal, the Indian legume stew that has many varieties, a staple food throughout AsiaDaube, a French stew made with cubed beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic and herbsDinuguan, pork blood stew from the PhilippinesEwedu, vegetable stew from NigeriaEintopf, (one pot) a German stew that includes a vast number of unlimited ingredientsFabada asturiana, an Asturian bean and meat stewFeijoada, Brazilian or Portuguese bean stewFårikål, traditional Norwegian stew with lamb or mutton and white cabbageFőzelék, a thick Hungarian vegetable dishGaisburger Marsch, a German dish of stewed beef served with Spätzle and potatoesGheimeh, an Iranian stew with cubed lamb and yellow split peasGhormeh sabzi, an Iranian stew with green herbs, dried limes, beans and sheep meatGoulash, a Hungarian meat stew with paprikaGumbo, a Louisiana creole dishHachee, a Dutch type of stew with wine or vinegarHaleem, a Pakistani lentil and beef stewHasenpfeffer, a sour, marinated rabbit stew from GermanyHayashi rice, a Japanese dish of beef, onions and mushrooms in red wine and demi-glace sauce, served with riceIrish stew, made with lamb or mutton, potato, onion and parsleyIshtu, a curry in Kerala, India made from chicken or mutton, potato and coconut milkIstrian stew or yota, or jota, a dish popular in Croatian and Slovenian Istra and NE ItalyI-tal Stew, a Rastafarian vegan dish of mostly Caribbean root vegetables and spicesJjigae, a diverse range of Korean stewsKalops, a traditional Swedish beef stew, with onions and carrots, served with potatoes and pickled beetsKare-kare, stewed beef or oxtail and vegetables in peanut sauce from the PhilippinesKarelian hot pot, from the region of Karelia in eastern FinlandKhash, a traditional Armenian dish of pig's or cow's feet.Khoresht, a variety of Persian stews, often prepared with saffronKokkinisto, a Greek stew with red meat, in a tomato passata with shallots, cinnamon and other spicesLancashire hotpot, an English stewLecsó, a summertime favourite in Hungary, vegetable stew with bell pepper and tomato as main ingredientsLocro, a South American stew (mainly in the Andes region)Machanka, a Belarus and Ukraine pork stewMechado, a Philippine beef stewMoqueca, a Brazilian stew with fish (or shrimp, crab or other seafoods) as its main ingredientMućkalica, a Serbian stewNihari, a Pakistani beef stew made overnight and served for breakfastNikujaga, a Japanese beef and potato stewOlla podrida, a Spanish red bean stewPašticada, a Croatian stew from the region of DalmatiaPeperonata, an Italian stew made with peppersPescado Blanco, a white fish stew from Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, MexicoPichelsteiner a traditional German stewPörkölt, a Hungarian meat stew resembling goulash, flavoured with paprikaPotjiekos, a South African stewPot-au-feu, a simple French beef stewPozole, a Mexican stew or soupPuchero, a Philippine, South American, and Spanish stewPulusu, is a form of stew from Andhra Pradesh in India that is typically sour and cooked with tamarind pasteRatatouille, a French vegetable stewRagoût de Porc, a stew with a picture in this articleSambar, a thick vegetable stew, from South IndiaSancocho, a stew from the CaribbeanScouse, a stew commonly eaten by sailors throughout Northern Europe, popular in seaports such as LiverpoolThe Stew, a stew from La Tour-du-PinSemur, a typical Indonesian stew with beef or chicken, potatoes, carrots, various spices and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) from IndonesiaSlumgullion, a watery stew of meat and vegetablesStoofvlees, a Belgian beef stew with beer, mustard and laurelTagine, a Moroccan stew, named after the conical pot in which it is traditionally cooked and/or servedTharid, a traditional Arab stew of bread in brothWaterzooi, a Belgian stewYahni, a Greek (γιαχνί), Turkish and Persian stew
