The French term for a cold savory jelly made from clarified stock, used to coat or encase foods, is aspic.
Aspic is a gelatin set from meat, poultry, fish, or vegetable stock. It may be molded around pieces of meat, seafood, eggs, or vegetables, or brushed over cold dishes to create a glossy protective coating. Clarifying the stock with egg whites helps produce the transparent appearance associated with refined aspic.
Its natural setting power comes from collagen-rich ingredients such as veal feet, joints, skin, and bones, which release gelatin during long cooking. Fish stocks contain less gelatin and often need additional gelatin to hold their shape. Aspic is related to, but not identical with, chaud-froid: chaud-froid is a sauce for foods served cold, while aspic is itself a gelatinous preparation.
Gelled meat dishes are much older than modern refrigeration. Medieval European cooks used concentrated meat broths as jellies, and a detailed aspic recipe appears in the 14th-century French cookbook Le Viandier. Packaged gelatin later made the technique easier and helped popularize molded savory dishes in the 19th and 20th centuries.