Ragout is a French term that has come to mean any stew intended to be eaten as the center of a meal. The one element that appears to be common across many historical ragout recipes is a long cooking over slow heat, but there is little otherwise to connect them. Items may be cooked separately or together; there may be vegetables, meat, or spices; the dish may be sauced or unsauced.
In historical writing the term ragoo is sometimes used.