Julia Child
As far as warm nourishing stews go, boeuf bourguignon — a beef dish from Burgundy — is high on the list. It's no secret that the comforting meal is a favorite, and a 2017 survey found that it was considered by a majority to be France's national dish. The stew dates back to the Middle Ages, once prepared as a resourceful method to tenderize cheap pieces of meat. Although the preparation can be traced back much further, Auguste Escoffier was the first person to document a recipe at the start of the 20th century. Escoffier's version used a large hunk of meat, and it was actually American chef Julia Child who first used cubed beef in her iconic recipe.