\u2018These pots were used for preserving food in the 19th century; mainly meats in fat, such as duck confit,\u2019 says dealer Caryl Tincknell of Violet Grey, who specialises in French antiques. \u2018The word \u2018confit<\/i>\u2019 comes from the French verb \u2018confire<\/i>\u2019 which means to preserve. The jars were either stored in a cold larder or buried in the ground up to the glaze line.\u2019<\/p>\n

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In the days before refrigeration, foods were cooked in the summer months when produce was abundant and then packed into the pots and sealed with a thick layer of fat to preserve them. The contents would then be consumed in the winter months when food was more scarce. Rather than a use-by date, the cook would label each pot with the date it had been filled and would know if the food was fit to eat.<\/p>\n
Dealer Appley Hoare also specialises in French antiques and often stocks confit pots. \u2018Terracotta is perfect for this type of food preservation as it absorbs moisture and keeps the contents cool,\u2019 she says. \u2018That\u2019s why most of these pots are found in hot climates.\u2019 Once ubiquitous, these days they are harder to come by, she admits. \u2018Like all the most interesting 18th and 19th-century items, they are becoming more difficult to find.\u2019<\/p>\n
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