We present a relativistic chiral theory of nuclear matter which includes the
effect of confinement. Nuclear binding is obtained with a chiral invariant
scalar background field associated with the radial fluctuations of the chiral
condensate Nuclear matter stability is ensured once the scalar response of the
nucleon depending on the quark confinement mechanism is properly incorporated.
All the parameters are fixed or constrained by hadron phenomenology and lattice
data. A good description of nuclear saturation is reached, which includes the
effect of in-medium pion loops. Asymmetry properties of nuclear matter are also
well described once the full rho meson exchange and Fock terms are included.Comment: Talk given by G. Chanfray at PANIC 08, Eilat (Israel), november
10-14, 200