What is "daube"

n. a stew of braise meat, usually beef

Daube is a classic Provençal (or more broadly, French) stew made with inexpensive beef braised in wine, vegetables, garlic, and herbes de Provence, and traditionally cooked in a daubière, a braising pan. A traditional daubière is a terracotta pot that resembles a pitcher, with a concave lid. Water is poured on the lid, which condenses the moisture inside, allowing for the long cooking required to tenderize lesser cuts of meat. The meat used in daube is cut from the shoulder and back of the bull, though some suggest they should be made from three cuts of meat: the " gelatinous shin for body, short ribs for flavor, and chuck for firmness." Although most modern recipes call for red wine, a minority call for white, as do the earliest recorded daube recipes.

Daube is adapted in New Orleans cuisine to make daube glacé.

Variations also call for olives, prunes, and flavoring with duck fat, vinegar, brandy, lavender, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, juniper berries, or orange peel. For best flavor, it is cooked in several stages, and cooled for a day after each stage to allow the flavors to meld together. In the Camargue and Béarn area of France, bulls killed in bullfighting festivals are often used for daube.

Traditionally it should be cooked for a long time and prepared the night before it is served. Daube with lamb is traditionally made with white wine.