This delicious beef stew recipe is famous all over the world today, although it goes back to the Middle Ages. Back then it was considered peasant food (just like lobsters and oysters were, funnily enough!) People in rural areas would make slow cooked meals which were cheap and hearty. They could use cheap cuts of meat because they would slow cook to tender perfection. Boeuf bourguignon in the Middle Ages took two days to make, and the longer it cooked the stronger the flavour would be. The meat would also get more tender the more time it bubbled away over the fire. In modern times, this French beef stew recipe is more of a bistro dish. The first printed recipe for it only goes back to the early 20th century.