Beef bourguignon () or bœuf bourguignon (, ; ), is a French stew of beef braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions and mushrooms.Prosper Montagné, Larousse Gastronomique, English translation, Crown 1961 s.v. 'beef'/ 'beef ragoûts'Auguste Escoffier, "Pièce de bœuf à la bourguignonne", A Guide to Modern Cookery, 1907 p. 379
"Bourguignon" is, since the mid-nineteenth century, a culinary term applied to various dishes prepared with wine or with a mushroom and onion garnish.Pierre Larousse, Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, 2, 1867 s.v.A French Lady, "Gigot à la Bourguignonne", Cookery for English Households, 1864, p. 139Charles Elmé Francatelli, "Rabbits, à la bourguignonne", The Modern Cook, 1846 p. 320 It is probably not a regional recipe from Burgundy.Jim Chevallier, A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites, 2018, , p. 191
When made with whole roasts, the meat was often larded.
History The dish is often "touted as traditional", but it was first documented in 1867, and "does not appear to be very old". Other recipes called "à la Bourguignonne" with similar garnishes were found in the mid-19th century for leg of lamb and for rabbit. In the 19th century, it "did not enjoy a great reputation", perhaps because it was often made with leftover cooked meat.Marcel Butler, La bonne cuisine pour tous, Paris, 1885, , p. 241-2
The dish has become a standard of French cuisine, notably in Parisian bistrots; however, it only began to be considered a Burgundian specialty in the twentieth century.
The co-authors of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle, and Julia Child, have described the dish as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man".Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking 1:315 , 1961
Serving
Beef bourguignon is generally accompanied by boiled potatoes, but often also with mashed potatoesBBC Food: The Hairy Bikers' beef bourguignon Linked 2023-11-09Jamie Oliver: My sumptious beef bourguignon Linked 2023-11-09Cafe Delites: Julia Child's beef bourguignon Linked 2023-11-09 or pasta.Robert Hamburger, Paris Bistros: A Guide to the Best, 1995, , p. 86
Name and spellings
The dish may be called bourguignon or à la bourguignonne in both French and English.Wayne Gisslen, Le Cordon Bleu Professional Cooking, Fifth Edition, 2003Paul Bocuse, La cuisine du marché, 1980 , p. 182La cuisine de Madame Saint-Ange, p. 416 It is occasionally called beef/bœuf bourguignonne in American EnglishSharon Tyler Herbst, Food Lover's Companion, Third Edition, 2001, but in French and non-American English, by far the most common name is bœuf bourguignon.Usage in Google ngrams
See also
List of stews
Notes and references