charcuterie
shahr-KOO-tuh-ree
/ʃɑːrˌkuːtəˈriː/
The art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products; a collection of such cold cooked meats.
While modern popular culture uses 'charcuterie' to refer to boards piled with cheese, fruit, and nuts, the term strictly and historically refers only to meat products.
The story behind the word. The word comes from the French chair (flesh) and cuit (cooked). In 15th-century France, charcutiers were forbidden from selling raw pork, so they created cooked and cured products to sell instead, establishing a distinct culinary guild.
Word relationships
- cold cuts: Cold cuts refers to standard, often mass-produced sliced sandwich meats, whereas charcuterie implies artisanal, cured, and preserved meat products.
Commonly confused with
- salumi: Salumi is the Italian term specifically for cured meats (mostly pork), whereas charcuterie is the broader French term that includes pâtés, terrines, and cooked meats.
Word family
- charcutier (noun): A person who prepares or sells charcuterie.
Collocations
- charcuterie board
- charcuterie platter
- art of charcuterie
Example sentences
- "She arranged an elegant charcuterie board featuring prosciutto, salami, and duck pâté." Describing a party platter.
- "The art of charcuterie was developed as a practical method of preserving meat before refrigeration." Discussing culinary history.
Memory hook
Imagine a charcoal grill cooking cute little rye bread to go with your cured meats. Cooked flesh on a board.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a platter that contains only cheese, crackers, and fruit without any meat.
Fun facts
- In France, the trade of a charcutier has been strictly regulated since the Middle Ages to maintain high standards of meat preservation.
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