Rillettes

Rillettes are pork slow-cooked in its own fat until it falls apart, then shredded and potted to set as a coarse, spreadable paste. It's France's other way of keeping meat in fat alongside confit — but where confit preserves a whole cut to be served plated as a main, rillettes deliberately breaks the meat down into something meant for a knife and a piece of bread.

What it actually is

Pork, usually a fatty shoulder cut, cooks for hours at a very low, gentle simmer submerged in pork fat along with thyme and bay leaf, until it's tender enough to fall apart on contact. The meat shreds by hand or fork into coarse threads — never blended smooth — and packs into a pot along with enough of its own cooking fat to bind it, then chills until the fat sets and holds the whole thing together as a firm, spreadable paste.

The texture has to stay coarse and shredded, not smooth. A version blended fine into something uniform reads more like a pâté or terrine; rillettes keeps the distinct threads of pulled meat visible even after it sets.

How it's served

• Cold, straight from its pot, spread thickly on bread or toast.
• As a starter, often with cornichons and mustard alongside.
• With crusty bread specifically, since the paste is too firm and rich to eat on its own.

Writing it on a menu

• Note that it has no major allergens in the base recipe, beyond whatever bread it's served with.
• Say that it's meant to be spread, not sliced, since the coarse, potted texture is different from a sliceable pâté or terrine.
• Mention that it's usually served cold, straight from the pot it set in.
• Flag that it's a rich, fat-forward preparation, similar in spirit to confit de canard but built to be shredded and spread rather than plated whole.