Fruits Confits:

Fruits confits are the product of an ancient art form of candying fruit. It is a tradition that goes back to the 1st century when Romans used honey to preserve fruit. At that time, fruit conservation was used as a way of keeping perishable products rather than producing confections. Fragile fruits that were candied in sugar could keep for months, sometimes years, without changing. It was then possible to eat figs, apples, and plums all year long.
In the Middle-Ages, it was sugar and no longer honey that was used to candy fruits. They were on every ceremonial table and were, like dragées, a gift only to important guests.
During the Renaissance, fruits confits became all the more popular as fresh fruits were considered to be dangerous for one's health.

Nowadays, French people, especially in the region of Provence, eat fruits confits at Christmas and they are part of what we call "the thirteen desserts", which symbolizes Christ and his apostles. According to this tradition, every family in Provence gathers at Christmas to eat the thirteen desserts that are fruits confits, but also nougat, calissons, and dry figs.
If the towns of Apt, Nice and Aix-en-Provence in the Southeast of France are known for their fruits confits, it is because Provence is like a natural orchard that offers an incredible selection of fruit - melons, pears, apricots, figs, peaches - that lend themselves perfectly to preservation.

Candying fruit is a delicate and subtle art; it is made exclusively by hand, which explains its high price. But it is also a very long process during which at least 3 months are required for the fruit to alternate between being brought to a boil and allowed to rest.

Each fruit is treated differently: melons, pears, and pineapples are peeled; citrus fruits are sliced, apricots are pitted, plums and tangerines are rinsed. The fruit is then pierced with a big needle in order to help the future penetration of the syrup into its heart and then it is blanched. After the blanching, each type of fruit is placed in its own unique terrine to preserve the flavor of the fruit and then filled with syrup. It is brought to a boil and cooled seven times over a period of 3-4 weeks, which allows the syrup to enter the fruit through the process of osmosis until it is saturated with the syrup. The fruit is then allowed to rest in the syrup for a minimum of two months in order to finalize the preservation. The final step, which is only taken after an order has been placed, is to remove the fruit from the syrup from which it has bathed in for months and dip it in syrup of pure concentrated sugar and then allow it to dry. This final step provides a protective coating on the outside of the fruit which serves to limit its stickiness.

If you like to use fruits confits in recipes, it is better to order them "égouttés", which means that they are removed from the syrup and skip the final step of coating them with sugar. They are therefore sticky to the touch but are ideal for baking and decorating cakes.