Boeuf bourguignon represents all the best things about French cooking: making the most of high-quality, local products and masterfully combining them into a memorable meal. <\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Its homeland, the Burgundy region situated between Paris and Lyon, is famous for two things: beef and wine. Boeuf bourguignon (translated as Burgundy beef) is the result of a near-perfect gastronomic marriage if there ever was one, slow-simmered to tender, juicy perfection in a rich sauce you’ll want to sop up every last drop of. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The roots of boeuf bourguignon<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Boeuf bourguignon has its roots as simple peasant fare. Though a version of the stew has been made for hundreds of years, its first recorded mention only popped up in the late 19th century. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Those with more refined palates initially turned up their nose at boeuf bourguignon, then considered to be a way for working-class cooks in Burgundy to use up the previous day’s dry, leftover beef. It wasn’t until the early 20th century, when French cook Auguste Escoffier popularized a recipe using fresh meat, that the dish really began to take off in France.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Today, boeuf bourguignon has been elevated to the ranks of haute cuisine, appearing on the menus of some of Paris’ best restaurants<\/a> despite not being native to the city. Julia Child herself lauded it as “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man” in her iconic book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But don’t let that intimidate you\u2014boeuf bourguignon takes time, but other than that is quite easy to whip up in any home kitchen. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n