Pork rillettes

rillettes

What it is

Balzac, a Tours man, called them a brown jam in Le Lys dans la vallée in 1836: pork cooked for hours in its own fat, pulled into fibres, then sealed under a layer of it. Tours cooks them uncovered so they brown, Le Mans keeps them pale and looser, and the two towns have never agreed.

In the kitchen

Take them out thirty minutes before serving — cold, the fat is wax and tastes of nothing. Work them with a fork, not a knife: the texture is meant to stay fibrous, not smooth.

Goes with

Cornichon Dijon mustard Grey shallot Apple White wine vinegar Black pepper Prune

Same species

Andouillette Boudin blanc Natural casings Caul fat Chorizo Ciauscolo

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