Before Refrigerators

     Everyone has one, maybe two, or three. They come in all sorts of sizes, shapes, even colors nowadays. Some are modern sleek with glass doors and TVs in them. Some are more humble, a simple white color with no thrills just plotting along everyday. Some are retro, bringing back the style of their ancestors. We refer to them as "the fridge,""cooler,""icebox,"(Dad's favorite)"walk in,""reach-in." But before this wonderful invention, how did we go about preserving food for long term storage?
     "Most methods are of great antiquity," writes Filipe Fernandez Armesto of preservation in his food history Near A Thousand Tables. Over two thousand years ago, the Andean civilizations perfected the method of freeze-drying potatoes in an elaborate ritual of overnight freezing, trampling to release moisture, then drying in the wind. Frozen food in the Arctic regions of the world is obvious. Other methods, among many, are salting, fermenting, confit, and smoking.
     The Egyptians were probably the first to salt food on a large scale. Not only did they use it for their own food supply, but for trade and it helped them build their economy. The Egyptians reviled the pig, so they left that to the Celts who spread it throughout Europe around the Age of Iron.(Irish saving civilization, again!) The Vikings used it preserve the bountiful cod of northern waters. During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means "grave" or "hole in the ground,"  and lax (or laks), which means "salmon", thus gravlax means "buried salmon". A NY bagel with gravlax, cream cheese, sliced red onion, capers. A great way to start the day!
     Confit literally translates into "preserved." Confit means to poach in fat and stored within that fat until ready to heat and serve. Today, chefs use the term loosely to mean anything poached in fat. Thus, you can confit salmon, potatoes(really good with duck fat), even vegetables. Carrots poached in olive oil with garlic and herbs is exquisite! Meat, especially duck or goose, prepared this way and stored in the same pot in a root cellar can last for months. French farmers when it came time to harvest the foie gras would have more meat than they could sell. Because the birds produce so much excess fat, the farmers used the excess to confit the legs. Thus, preserving them for future eating. And what good eating it is!! Duck leg confit served with crispy skin and sauteed greens or better yet in cassoulet!
     Who needs refrigeration!
     Taste Local Flavor and let the Market Inspire You!

Menu for the Week:
Duck leg confit(meat)
Gravlax(meat)
Assorted country pates(meat)
Winter green and local goat cheese ravioli(vegetarian)
Sauteed winter greens with smoked bacon(meat, gluten-free)
French walnut tart(vegetarian)
Italian escarole, ham and vegetable soup(meat, gluten-free)
Carrot and apple soup(vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free)
Gold beet and Stilton blue cheese salad(vegetarian, gluten-free)