Charcuterie History and the Cheese & Charcuterie Board

Today’s Popularity of Ancient Food.

The practice of eating cured meats with wine is centuries old to the times of Ancient Rome. Today, we are still eating and drinking in the same fashion, perhaps with more artful presentations. Discover the charcuterie history and the love of the cheese and charcuterie board:

Charcuterie History and the Cheese & Charcuterie Board

“Charcuterie” is French meaning cooked flesh. It’s a word that described the 15th-century pork butcher shops in France that sold pork products that were salted and smoked to preserve the meat, much like the methods used in Ancient Rome.

Charcuterie consists of cooked, preserved meats in the form of salumi, pate, rillettes, etc. Note that charcuterie is a broad term to include everything cooked which today includes pork and other game meat; whereas salumi specifically refers to salted and dry-cured meats such as salami. Today, however, you may find these two words used interchangeably when putting together a platter of meats, cheeses, and nibbles from all over the globe.

Today’s cheese and charcuterie boards are gorgeous, artful platters that have greatly popularized thanks to the influence of social media. This is pretty food that you pair with wine and it all tastes delicious.

The charcuterie can include salami, prosciutto, Parma ham, jamon, coppa, lomo, dried chorizo, mortadella, pates, rillettes, terrines, sausages, and so on. The cheeses can be both soft and hard like brie, cheddar, gouda, Parmiagno Reggiano. Then there are the accompaniments like bread, fruits, dried fruits, nuts, honey, mustard, pickles, olives, etc. The board is formed according to what’s available, flavor combinations, or even just personal preference.

Cheese and charcuterie boards are found in menus at wine bars and restaurants. You can have it as a sharing appetizer. Or if you love small bites, it can also be your meal as it has every component including protein, carbs, and fiber. The main attraction of these boards is that they are meant to be shared with friends and family. It is social – have a drink, nibble, talk, sip, eat, and on and on until the board suddenly is whipped out.

So French have their charcuterie, Germans have their delicatessen, Italians have salumeria, Spaniards have jamoneria…Japan even has a word for snacks with alcohol, “ostumami” which mostly consists of salted and dried seafood with roasted peas, and crackers. Essentially every culture has their version of charcuterie.