The History of Pot-Au-Feu

Pot-au-feu got its start in France in during the Middle Ages. The dish’s characteristic long cooking time was originally used to soften cheap cuts of meat and stale root vegetables. The name pot-au-feu itself translates to “pot in the fire,” which is a reference to the cooking vessel that hung over a continuously burning fire in homes all over France at the time. In late 16th-century France, widespread famine made meat largely inaccessible to the masses, but the aristocracy was still able to afford the ingredient, so pot-au-feu became popular among the upper classes and even French royalty. It was at this time that the dish gained its formal name and was first mentioned in print. Pot-au-feu gained wider appeal in the 18th century, largely due to the expansion of the middle class, which put the dish in reach of far more French citizens. Particularly after World War II, pot-au-feu became an undisputed part of the French culinary canon. Today, it is enjoyed across France and there are multiple regional varieties of the dish.