Prior to the development of refrigeration, Savoyards needed to keep their meat fresh throughout the year as well as make it easy to transport from farm to market. Thus, they developed techniques for salting and smoking pork. Both the vegetation on which the animals fed as well as the dry, cold climate of the Savoie lent a special flavor to the salted sausages and smoked hams which remain renowned today. Smoked Savoie bacon, for example, combined with tartifle (potato), onions, cream, and melted reblochon cheese yields one of the region’s most famous dishes, the Tartiflette, especially appreciated in the cold, winter months.