This recipe for oxtail stew in red wine is adapted from "The new book of soups" By the culinary institute of america (lebhar-friedman books). Eastern europeans love oxtails and this delicious stew served with thickened pan juices and roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes fills the bill. In polish, this is known as gulasz ogonowa, and in hungarian, it is tejfls kruszly. Compare this to an oxtail-barley soup. Oxtails actually come from the tail of beef cattle. At one time, oxtails actually did come from oxen, and eating them is just a part of nose-to-tail eating so common among eastern european cooks. Today, oxtails are considered gourmet fare. The same is true of pork belly, once relegated to the sausage grinder.