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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Halibut and Tomato Curry      Origin: Britain	Ifisashi (Bean Leaves with Peanuts)      Origin: Zambia	Israeli Chicken and Rice Pilaf      Origin: Israel
Halloween Swamp Dip      Origin: American	Igisafuliya (Chicken Plantain and Vegetable Stew)      Origin: Rwanda	Israeli Shakshuka      Origin: Israel
Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)      Origin: Slovakia	Igitoke      Origin: Rwanda	Istrian Jota      Origin: Croatia
Halupki Stuffed with Buckwheat Groats      Origin: Slovakia	Ignames à la Tomate (Yams with Tomatoes)      Origin: Burkina Faso	Ius Album in Assum Leporem (Hare's Blood, Liver and Lung Ragout)      Origin: Roman
Haluwa (Carrot Sweetmeat)      Origin: Tanzania	Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Bonaire	Ius in lacertos elixos (Boiled Mackerel with Sauce)      Origin: Roman
Hares in Papdele (Hare Stew on a Bread Base)      Origin: England	Igra Stobá (Liver Stew)      Origin: Curacao	Iwuk Efere      Origin: Nigeria
Hares in Talbotes (Hares in Hare-blood Sauce)      Origin: England	Ijogó (Cabbage and Smoked Fish Stew)      Origin: Sao Tome	Jackfruit Kofta Curry      Origin: India
Haricots Blancs à la Bretonne (Breton-style White Beans)      Origin: France	Ila (Okra)      Origin: Nigeria	Jamaican Curried Jackfruit      Origin: Jamaica
Harira      Origin: Djibouti	Imoyo Eba      Origin: Nigeria	Jamaican Jerk Jackfruit      Origin: Jamaica
Harisa (Chicken and Wheat Porridge)      Origin: Armenia	In Echino (Of Sea Urchins)      Origin: Roman	Jamaican Mutton and Lime Leaf      Origin: Jamaica
Hawthorn Berry Sauce      Origin: Britain	In mitulis (Mussels)      Origin: Roman	Jamaican Pimento Tripe Curry      Origin: Jamaica
Heat Wave Chili      Origin: American	In perdice (Boiled Partridge)      Origin: Roman	Jamaican Prawn Curry      Origin: Jamaica
Hebolace      Origin: England	In Vitulinam Elixam (Boiled Veal)      Origin: Roman	Jamaican Rum Prawns      Origin: Jamaica
Hena-Kisoa sy voanjobory (Pork with Bambara Groundnuts)      Origin: Madagascar	In Vulva [et] Sterili ([Sauce] for Sterile Sow's Womb)      Origin: Roman	Jamaican Seafood Soup      Origin: Jamaica
Henne in Bokenade (Hen in Sauce)      Origin: England	Indonesian Peanut Sauce      Origin: Indonesia	Jamaican Spicy Okra      Origin: Jamaica
Herbed Dumplings      Origin: Britain	Inyama Yenkukhu (South African Chicken Casserole)      Origin: South Africa	Jambo (Okra Soup)      Origin: Bonaire
Herring Rougail (Le Rougail Z'hareng)      Origin: Reunion	Irio      Origin: Kenya	Jambo (Okra Soup)      Origin: Curacao
Hervido de pescado (Boiled Fish with Vegetables)      Origin: Costa Rica	Irish Beef In Guinness      Origin: Ireland	Jarret de Boeuf      Origin: Chad
Highland Venison Casserole with Chestnuts      Origin: Scotland	Irish Beef Stew      Origin: Ireland	Jasha Maroo (Minced Chicken Tshoem)      Origin: Bhutan
Himalayan Balsam Seed Curry      Origin: Fusion	Irish Cabbage Parcels      Origin: Ireland	Java Chicken      Origin: Fusion
Hlalem (Pasta with Beans)      Origin: Tunisia	Irish Carbonnade      Origin: Ireland	Jollof Rice with Chicken, Beef, and Ham      Origin: Ghana
Holdermus (Elderberry Mush)      Origin: Germany	Irish Coddled Pork with Cider      Origin: Ireland	Joues de porc confites au cidre (Confit of Pork Cheeks in Cider)      Origin: France
Home-made Anchovy Essence      Origin: Britain	Irish Farm Broth      Origin: Ireland	Joutes of almannd mylk (Herb Pottage with Almond Milk)      Origin: England
Hong am Rèisleck (Chicken Cooked in Wine)      Origin: Luxembourg	Irish Fisherman's Stew      Origin: Ireland	Judd mat Gaardebounen (Smoked Pork with Broad Beans)      Origin: Luxembourg
Hoppin' John      Origin: America	Irish Hot Pot      Origin: Ireland	Jugged Pigeons      Origin: Britain
Hor'i (Stewed Beef Shank)      Origin: Yemen	Irish Lamb and Potato Curry      Origin: Ireland	Kabaro au Carry (Malagasy Curried Beans)      Origin: Madagascar
Hot Chili Beans      Origin: American	Irish Lamb Stew      Origin: Ireland	Kabritu Stoba (Stewed Kid Goat)      Origin: Aruba
Hot Green Tamarind Chicken      Origin: Indonesia	Irish Lamb Stew      Origin: Ireland	Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Saba
Hot Pinto Bean Chili      Origin: American	Irish Stew      Origin: Ireland	Kabritu Stobá (Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: Curacao
Hot Turkey and Black Bean Chili      Origin: American	Iron Age Pork and Beans      Origin: Ancient	Kachumbari      Origin: Rwanda
Hotpot Porc Cymreig, Chorizo a Ffa Gwynion (Welsh Pork, Chorizo and White Bean Hotpot)      Origin: Welsh	Isidudu      Origin: Zimbabwe	Kadala Curry      Origin: India
Hotpot Porc y Gaeaf (Wintery Pork Hotpot)      Origin: Welsh	Isombe      Origin: Rwanda	Kadhai Gosht      Origin: Pakistan
Iakwe Stew (Marshallese Chicken Stew)      Origin: Marshall Islands	Isophu      Origin: Southern Africa
Ibihaza (Beans with Pumpkin)      Origin: Rwanda	Israeli Chicken and Aubergine Shakshuka      Origin: Israel

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