Duck confit is a dish that, like many old dishes, came about to solve a problem. The problem was that duck is really terrific to eat, but it spoils quickly if you had the poor judgment to live in a thatched hut 600 years before the invention of refrigeration. The Spanish solved this problem by learning to like the taste of spoiled duck. The French, on the other hand, came up with a very inventive way of preserving it. What they did was to slowly cook the duck for several hours, coaxing all that wonderful duck fat out until it was sufficient to completely cover the remaining meat. They would then pack the meat into a jar and pour the fat over it, sealing the meat from the ravages of the outside air. In this way the duck could be preserved for many weeks without fear of spoilage. It takes time to do this dish properly, but it's well worth the effort.

Jamaica is a land that has had its' share of troubles over the years. Like much of the Caribbean, Jamaica suffered terribly once the Europeans discovered and colonized its shores. The ravages of disease, slavery and colonialism have left many in this once idyllic island paradise poverty stricken, living in disposable shacks and watching the world pass them by. But there was a time when the people of the island survived off of the jungles and the oceans. In the old days, Safaris of hunters would caravan through the jungle shooting game and leaving it on the trail behind them to be picked up and processed by the "Jerk Man." The Jerk Man would dig a pit, line it with coals and hot stones, then place the well seasoned carcasses in the pit... covering with more stones before moving on the next cache. At the safaris end the whole crew would simply back-track, digging up the preserved meat as they went, eventually returning with tons of smoked, spiced, jerked meat. The following marinade is one I like a lot... making fine use of the traditional allspice and citrus flavors of the Jerk Man.