Beef Stew

Stews are any dish made by stewing, a method of cooking by which food is barely covered with liquid and simmered slowly for a long period of time in a tightly covered pot. Stewing not only tenderizes tough pieces of meat but also allows the flavours of the ingredients to blend.

Stews have been made since ancient times. The world's oldest known evidence of stew was found in Japan, dating to the Jōmon period. Amazonian tribes used the shells of turtles as vessels, boiling the entrails of the turtle and various other ingredients in them.

Prepared properly, the stew never boils, but simmers at about 190 °F (88 °C), a process that tenderizes tougher foods and mingles flavours.