TheArtofCharc
STORY BY KATY RUTH CAMP
G
OING TO A PARTY and seeing a
meat-and-cheese plate is nothing new. But
today’s charcuterie boards aren’t just
dressed up Lunchables – they’re colorful,
impressive, full of quality ingredients, and there’s
an art to making them into, well, works of art.
The history of the charcuterie board is a little harder
to digest. The word charcuterie is derived from the French
words chair (flesh) and cuit (cooked). Shops dating back
to 15th century France called a combination of the
products charcuterie, which included everything from the
pig on one plate – yes, everything.
Go back even farther to ancient Rome, when the
practice of salting and smoking meats was a tradition,
honoring ancient Romans’ belief that nothing from the
animal should be wasted. There was a way to make all of it
taste good, one way or another, and it would all be plated
together. Today, of course, charcuterie is a bit different.