All About Confit

In the French Southwest, confit (pronounced cón-fee) is a way of life. Before refrigeration, preserving meat for winter was a necessity on farms where whole animals were slaughtered, and the thrifty cook had to make the best of all the meat at one time so that it would last until spring. Luckily for the farmer and his family, the curing technique developed was unbelievably unctuous and delicious, which is why it is still so popular.

Preserving meat in this traditional fashion requires adaptation for cooks not blessed with a constant supply of the correct meats and good, home-rendered fats. On its home territory, confit was intended to last for months without refrigeration—in fact, meats preserved in this way were sometimes kept the year round, with occasional reheating to prevent spoiling.