[ˈkɒnfɪˌtjʊə] n

(Cookery) a confection, preserve of fruit, etc.
[from French, from Old French confire to prepare, from Latin conficere to produce; see confect]

Noun1.confiture - preserved or candied fruit
confection, sweet - a food rich in sugar
candied fruit, crystallized fruit, succade - fruit cooked in sugar syrup and encrusted with a sugar crystals
conserve, conserves, preserves, preserve - fruit preserved by cooking with sugar

Confit, which is the past participle form of the French verb confire or "to preserve", is most often applied to preservation of meats, especially poultry and pork, by cooking them in their own fat or oils and allowing the fats to set. However, the term can also refer to fruit or vegetables which have been seasoned and cooked with honey or sugar until the mixture has reached a jam-like consistency. Savory confits, such as ones made with garlic or tomatoes, may call for a savory oil, such as virgin olive oil, as the preserving agent.

Fruit confit are candied fruit (whole fruit, or pieces thereof) preserved in sugar. The fruit must be fully infused with sugar, to its core; larger fruit take considerably longer than smaller ones to candy. Thus, while small fruit such as cherries are confits whole, it is quite rare to see whole large fruit, such as melon confits, making large fruit confits quite expensive.

 Resources: