Dishes · A classic of Burgundian · Burgundy, with Charolais beef
Bœuf bourguignon
Also Boeuf bourguignon, Beef bourguignon, Bœuf à la bourguignonne, Beef Burgundy
Beef braised slowly in red Burgundy with bacon, small onions and mushrooms until it falls apart.
What makes it bœuf bourguignon
Braising beef — shin, cheek or chuck — cooked in red wine.
Bacon, small onions and mushrooms, browned separately and added late.
Cooked for hours until the sauce is dark and glossy.
Where it comes from
It began as a farmhouse way with a tough cut from an old working animal: long cooking in the local wine made it tender. The garnish of bacon, onions and mushrooms is what makes it à la bourguignonne.
Escoffier set down a restaurant version in the early 1900s, and Julia Child made it famous in English half a century later. In Burgundy it's still a Sunday dish, and most say it's better the next day.
How it varies
Marinated first
Many cooks leave the beef overnight in the wine with onion, carrot and herbs.
Mushroom bourguignon
A modern meatless take, with big mushrooms in place of beef.