What is the difference between a stew and a carole?

The distinctions between stew, soup, and cerole are subtle and not always easy to judge. The ingredients of a stew may be cut into larger pieces than those of a soup and retain more of their individual flavors; a stew may have thicker liquid than a soup, and more liquid than a cerole; a stew is more likely to be eaten as a main course than as a starter, unlike soup; and a stew can be cooked on either the stove top (or range) or in the oven, while ceroles are almost always cooked in the oven, and soups are almost always cooked on the stovetop. There are exceptions; for example, an oyster stew is thin bodied, more like a soup.