You can serve your guests a types of charcuterie meats such as pate, cured ham, or mortadella. We’ve compiled a list of four unusual meats that would make a great addition to any charcuterie tray.
What Is Charcuterie?
Charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree”) is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products in the French tradition. Outside of France, the concept of charcuterie has grown in popularity, and the term has come to encompass a wide range of foods other than meat.
A charcuterie board is an artfully arranged collection of meats, cheeses, artisan breads, olives, fruit, and nuts on a serving board. If you want to add charcuterie to your menu, we’ll walk you through the basics, identify some of the most popular types, and show you how to put together an impressive finished board.
Charcuterie is a type of cooking that involves the preparation of prepared meats like ham, sausage, bacon, confit, and other pork products. The word “pork-butcher shop” comes from France and means “pork butcher shop.” While charcuterie refers to pork in the original French translation, modern charcuterie boards include other foods such as pate, cheese, crackers, fruit, nuts, and dips.
The cook who prepares the meat is known as a Charcutier in French. Charcuterie is pronounced differently in English than it is in French. “Shar-coo-tree” is the correct French pronunciation of charcuterie.
A charcuterie board is a great option for a low-maintenance way to offer an assortment of appetizers and keep your guests entertained and happy. For the most aesthetically pleasing board I always serve an odd number of both cheese and charcuterie; either 1, 3 or 5. As a general guide, I typically allot 2 ounces of each cheese and charcuterie per person when served as an appetizer.
Types of Charcuterie
Rillettes
Rilletes is a French-style charcuterie with a coarser texture than pate. Rillettes are made by slow cooking meat until it is soft enough to shred. Rillettes charcuterie is commonly made with rabbit, goose, or duck meat. Rillettes can be served cold or at room temperature and then spread on toast or bread.
Mousse
It’s similar to rillettes in that it’s a spreadable meat dish, but the main difference is that it’s much smoother and more like pate in consistency. Chicken liver mousse is one of the most popular types of mousse, and it’s often made with spices, cream, and even a little wine to achieve a rich flavor and silky texture. Despite the fact that mousse must be cooked before consumption, it is usually served cold and goes well with toast or fruit.
Salami
Genoa salami is ideal for thinly slicing on a meat slicer and putting on a sandwich. Chorizo is a popular ingredient for adding flavor to cooked dishes, and it can be found in everything from breakfast to fish entrees to potato sides. Soppresatta is commonly served as an appetizer with best cheese and fruit, sliced a little thicker.
Prosciutto
Prosciutto is a salt-cured fatty cut of meat that is hung to dry for several months. Prosciutto is typically made from pork, but it can also be made from cured lamb, duck, or other meats that go through the same process.
Prosciutto is typically sliced very thin on a specialty meat slicer due to its dense texture and can be served in a variety of ways. It’s often wrapped around fruit or used to cover other meats before being cooked into a crispy outer shell. It’s a tasty pizza topping that can also be diced and used in quiche or pasta dishes, or eaten on its own!
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