Stews have been around almost nearly as long as humans have been cooking. All you need is a vessel to hold your ingredients and water and a means of heating that vessel. It can be as simple as a leather bag with stones heated in a fire dropped into it. So stews were almost certainly prepared during the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, if not earlier. Once you have clay or metal pots you can prepare stews next to or set directly over a fire. Stews are low-maintenance cookery, generally not requiring that the cooking pot be observed continuously. The slow cooking is also ideal for tenderizing tougher cuts of meat (neck, shin, tail etc). As these also tend to be the most flavoursome parts of animals, this also means that stews can be extremely flavourful. Stews also pair well with the local staple: potatoes, rice, bread, yams, cassava etc.

Even in hunter-gatherer societies stews are useful in that the slow cooking can make the most of tough meat and it can be combined with foraged grains, leafy greens, nuts and starchy tubers to yield a flavourful, low maintenance and nutritious meal. With the advent of agriculture almost all grains are amenable to stewing and combining grains and legumes in a stew provides a ready way to gain all the essential amino acids that humans (particularly children) require.

The boiling process of making stews also helps sterilize the ingredients, killing harmful bacteria and viruses. It can also help neutralize harmful chemicals, such as the cyanogenic compounds in bitter cassava and helps reduce bitterness in leafy greens, making the food both safer to eat and more palatable. The addition of flavouring ingredients (fruit, spices, herbs) during the cooking process can also alter the flavours of stews, making them more palatable and more appealing. This is particularly the case when adding components with high umami content (certain fish, seaweed, cruciferous vegetables, beans, soy sauce, mushrooms etc).

It is little wonder that, taken globally, the list of stews presented on this site is a long one.

Some stews border on soups and the definition of whether a dish is a soup or a stew. A good example of this is Welsh cawl which can be served with more liquid as a soup or can be thickened as a stew and served with bread and/or potatoes. Most curries, due to their long, slow cooking and blend of ingredients can also be considered a subtype of stew.

Pretty much every culture on earth has a classic stew that's a major part of its cultural culinary repertoire. I have viewed and collected recipes for many of these on my travels. These and other classic stews from around the world are collected and presented here.

The alphabetical list of all the stew recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 2198 recipes in total:

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Kådun Pika (Spicy Chicken)      Origin: Guam	Karni Stobá (Sint Eustatian Stewed Beef)      Origin: Sint Eustatius	Khormya (Spiced Lamb with Yoghurt)      Origin: Kazakhstan
Kådun Pika (Spicy Chicken)      Origin: Northern Mariana Islands	Kashmiri Chicken Curry      Origin: India	Khumbi Aloo (Mushroom and Potato Curry)      Origin: India
Kafta with Argan Oil (Syrian Meatballs with Argan Oil)      Origin: Syria	Katakou au Poisson Frais (Palm Soup Base with Fresh Fish)      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Kibeba (Cassava and Cuttlefish Stew)      Origin: Mozambique
Kajaik (Sudanese fish stew)      Origin: South Sudan	Katami Satsabeli Baga (Duck in Georgian Walnut Sauce)      Origin: Georgia	Kid Goat Korma      Origin: Anglo-Indian
Kakrar Jhal (Bengali Crab Curry)      Origin: India	Katogo (Beans with Cassava)      Origin: Uganda	Kig ha Farz (Meat with Stuffing)      Origin: France
Kalia II (Meat and Potato Curry II)      Origin: Bangladesh	Kebab Halla (Stewed Beef)      Origin: Egypt	Kilmeny Kail      Origin: Scotland
Kaluun iyo Bariis (Spicy Fish Sauce with Rice)      Origin: Somalia	Kebbeh Kunda Benachin      Origin: Gambia	Kingklip and Prawn Biryani      Origin: South Africa
Kalya de Poulet (Chicken Kalya)      Origin: Mauritius	Kede in Bokenade (Kid Goat in Sauce)      Origin: England	Kiribati Coconut Crab Curry      Origin: Kiribati
Kamuna      Origin: Sierra Leone	Kedgeree 2      Origin: Fusion	Kishke (Stuffed Derma)      Origin: Uzbekistan
Kanda (Beef Meatballs with Pumpkin Seeds)      Origin: Central African Republic	Kedjenou      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Kissra be Omregayga      Origin: Sudan
Kanda ti Nyma      Origin: Central African Republic	Kedjenou II      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Stew)      Origin: Iceland
Kang Ped Pla-dook (Red Curry with Catfish)      Origin: Thailand	Kefta dyal Ghriba (Synagogue Koftas)      Origin: Tunisia	Kjufteta Po Cirpanski (Meatballs and Potatoes)      Origin: Bulgaria
Kangchu Tsoem (Pig's Trotter Tshoem)      Origin: Bhutan	Kejenou avec Agouti (Kejenou with Cane Rat)      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Kobi Bhaji      Origin: India
Kangué (Ragout of Beef)      Origin: Mayotte	Kelenkelen (Fish with Cassava Leaves)      Origin: Cameroon	Kobi Keema (Cabbage and Minced Meat Curry)      Origin: India
Kaninchengeschnetzeltes (Liechtenstein-style Rabbit Stew)      Origin: Liechtenstein	Keleya Zaara (Tunisian Lamb with Saffron)      Origin: Tunisia	Kobi Sabji (Cabbage Sabji)      Origin: India
Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea	Kenkey      Origin: Ghana	Koenigsberger Klopse (German Meatballs)      Origin: Germany
Kansiyé avec 'Mafe' (Smoked Chicken in Peanut Sauce with Mashed Plantains)      Origin: Guinea	Kenyan Chicken Tikka      Origin: Kenya	Kohl Westfalisch (Westphalian Cabbage II)      Origin: Germany
Kansiyé de Poisson (Fish Kansiyé)      Origin: Guinea	Kenyan Matoke      Origin: British	Kokam Fish      Origin: India
Kansiyé de Poulet (Chicken Kansiyé)      Origin: Guinea	Kerrie-aartappels en Uie (Curried Potatoes and Onions)      Origin: South Africa	Koko na Nyama (Meat with Koko)      Origin: Central African Republic
Kansiyé      Origin: Guinea-Bissau	Kerrieboontjies (South African Curried Beans)      Origin: South Africa	Kokum Kari (Kokam Curry)      Origin: India
Kaoteriad (Breton Fish Stew)      Origin: France	Kewa Datshi (Potatoes with Cheese)      Origin: Bhutan	Komprek Eromba (Water Dropwort Eromba)      Origin: India
Kapenta      Origin: Zambia	Kewa Phagsha (Spicy Pork with Potatoes)      Origin: Bhutan	Kondré de Porc (Kondré of Pork)      Origin: Cameroon
Kapr na černo (Carp in Black Sauce)      Origin: Czech	Khao Man (Coconut Rice)      Origin: Brunei	Konkoé Turé Gbéli (Smoked Catfish Stew with Vegetables)      Origin: Guinea
Kapuska z Kielbasa (Sauerkraut and Kielbasa)      Origin: Poland	Khasi Ko Masu (Nepali Goat Meat Curry)      Origin: Nepal	Kontomire Stew (Cocoyam Leaf Stew)      Origin: Ghana
Karē Raisu (Japanese Curry Rice)      Origin: Japan	Khatta Curry      Origin: India	Koozy (Leg of Lamb)      Origin: Iraq
Karabakh Loby (Broad Beans in Sour Cream and Tomato Sauce)      Origin: Azerbaijan	Khela Kalia (West Bengali Lamb Curry)      Origin: India	Korean-inspired Pollock Stew with Gochujang and Wild Greens      Origin: Korea
Karahi Machhli (White Fish Curry)      Origin: Pakistan	Khichidi      Origin: India	Koshari (Lentils, Pasta and Rice)      Origin: Egypt
Kare Kare      Origin: Philippines	Khichiri      Origin: India	Kosksu bil-Ful (Couscous with Broad Beans)      Origin: Malta
Kari Ikan (Fish Curry)      Origin: Malaysia	Khnom Jin Namya (Catfish Curry over Noodles)      Origin: Thailand	Kotor Bay Stewed Fish      Origin: Montenegro
Karjalanpaisti (Karelian Stew)      Origin: Finland	Khoodra Mafrooka      Origin: Sudan	Koumrangan      Origin: Chad
Karko Stobá (Queen Conch Stew)      Origin: Aruba	Khoresh B'Amieh (Okra Stew)      Origin: Iran	Kouneli Stifado (Rabbit Stew)      Origin: Greece
Karko Stobá (Queen Conch Stew)      Origin: Bonaire	Khoresht-e Loobia (Stewed Mutton with String Beans)      Origin: Iran	Koushari (Lentils, Macaroni and Rice in Oil)      Origin: Egypt
Karko Stobá (Queen Conch Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Khoresht-e Zereshk (Barberry, Lamb and Nut Stew)      Origin: Iran
Karni Stobá (Curaçao Stewed Beef)      Origin: Curacao	Khoreshte Kalal (Lamb Stew with Barberry Sauce)      Origin: Iran

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