[5] In 1600, the king of France, Henry IV, declared, "there shall be no peasant in my kingdom who lacks the means to have a hen in his pot.

[8][n 2] One batch of pot-au-feu was maintained as a perpetual stew in Perpignan from the 15th century until World War II.

[n 3] Blanc, Édouard de Pomiane, and Auguste Escoffier include it; Bocuse, Alain Ducasse, and Joël Robuchon omit it,[3][12][16][17] as do Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle, and Julia Child, authors of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

[18] As well as a bouquet garni – traditionally made of parsley, thyme and bay[19] – an onion studded with cloves may be added to the pot.

It is often enriched with rice or pasta, and croutons and grated cheese may be added, before it is served with French bread.