Charcuterie comes from the French phrase chair cuit, which means cooked meat. But today, the term encompasses all kinds of preserved and cured proteins from Italy, France, Spain, and beyond. Think sausages, terrines, rillettes, and dry-cured hams like prosciutto — all of which are fair game when it comes to making a charcuterie board. (Many restaurants are even making fish charcuterie, with delicious results.)
Michael Ruhlman, co-author of Charcuterie
“Humans didn’t create this culinary marvel of pleasure and nutrition, fat and protein for our own pleasure. We did it for our survival.”
— Michael Ruhlman, co-author of Charcuterie
For thousands of years, long before refrigeration, curing meat was the only way to preserve it. “Humans didn’t create this culinary marvel of pleasure and nutrition, fat and protein for our own pleasure. We did it for our survival,” says Michael Ruhlman, co-author, with chef and culinary instructor Brian Polcyn, of the 2005 book Charcuterie, a manual for making the French pâtés and Italian salumi that might show up on a charcuterie board.
The salting, drying, and fermenting involved in the curing process draws out moisture and suppresses bacterial growth, helping the meat keep for a long time, but it also makes it more delicious. Curing creates new molecules and compounds (including glutemic acid, responsible for umami), concentrates the meaty flavor, and transforms the texture, making it dense, silky, or translucent.
While charcuterie might have started out as a survival food, today it’s a treat – the undisputed star of charcuterie boards and snack dinners. Here’s how to choose the best meats for your charcuterie board, and how to slice and serve them so they taste their best.
How to pick a charcuterie board
Charcuterie can be served on something as basic as an oversized cutting board, or as fancy and charcuterie-specific as a marble serving board. To buy one that fits your needs, see the results of Food & Wine’s review of the best charcuterie boards.
What to put on a charcuterie board
Ruhlman suggests one to two ounces of meat per person. When selecting the meats for your charcuterie board, offer different textures by making sure there’s a sausage (such as a thick salami), a dry-cured ham, and a pâté.
How to slice charcuterie
Salumi dries out quickly, so slice it shortly before serving — razor-thin, if you’re able to, says Ruhlman. If you can, ask the deli counter to slice it for you to order. Marc Buzzio, the second-generation owner of Salumeria Biellese in New York City, notes that modified atmosphere packaging causes cured meat to lose its luster within a couple days of opening.
What to serve with charcuterie
“Condiments aren’t optional,” says Polcyn. To round out a charcuterie board, add sharp and acidic elements like cornichons, grainy mustard, or preserved fruit. Include cheese if you’d like, although it’s traditionally served separately.
Charcuterie labels explained
Buzzio and Polcyn warn that labels like “uncured” or “no nitrates” are misnomers. All charcuterie is cured to make it safe to consume, and “natural” curing ingredients like celery powder still result in nitrites or nitrates in the final product.
Italian charcuterie: what to buy
Salumi platters often put the focus on the meat. Serve simply with crostini or breadsticks, or add caperberries for flair.
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Italian-style salumi include dry-aged meat and terroir-driven salami from regions like Tuscany and Calabria. Here are some to look out for at restaurants and the grocery aisle.
Salami: This sausage is made by fermenting and air-drying a seasoned ground meat mixture in a natural casing. When building a charcuterie board, show off its flavor range with a couple of different kinds, like finocchiona (fennel sausage from Tuscany) and calabrese (a spicy sausage from Calabria flavored with Calabrian chile).
Prosciutto: Sweet and silky, prosciutto is a salt-cured ham that comes from the hind leg of the pig. Prosciutto crudo is dry-cured and the one you’ll find on a salumi board or in your grocery store. (Prosciutto cotto is cooked.) The most prized prosciuttos come from Parma and San Daniele.
Coppa: Coppa comes from the neck of the pig and is known for its distinctively marbled texture. (Capicola is a similar product but cooked.) This delicious, dry-cured sausage is made using the whole muscle rather than ground meat, which means it’s more similar to prosciutto than salami when sliced.
Bresaola: Bresaola is air-dried beef, cured in a natural casing, that is common in the northern mountainous regions of Italy. It typically comes from the round roast and is often served simply with a little olive oil and lemon juice.
Mortadella: The precursor to American bologna, mortadella is an emulsified pork sausage that is sometimes studded with pistachios and is cooked. It is often cubed and fried, or sliced thin for a salumi platter.
Soppressata: Popular in southern Italy, in the regions of Calabria and Basilicata, this dry-cured, fermented sausage is known for its big chunks of fat. You can also find hot soppressata, which is spiced with Calabrian chiles and is especially delicious on a soppressata pizza with hot honey.
Speck: Common in the Alto Adige region of Italy, speck is a salt-cured, lightly smoked ham that is usually made with the whole back leg of the hog.
French charcuterie: what to buy
Consider serving French charcuterie with cheeses, cornichons, and jam to cut through the rich flavors.
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
You’ll often find cooked and potted elements on a French charcuterie board, such as smoked duck breast and pâté de campagne, but they also produce analogs to Italian dry-cured meat and salami.
Pâté de campagne: Also called country terrine, this rustic pâté is typically made with finely ground meat and cooked in a loaf pan. It might be studded with ingredients like herbs, spices, or nuts.
Rillettes: Rillettes refer to a meat that’s slow-cooked in its own fat and is great on crackers. You can find pork, duck, or even salmon rillettes.
Saucisson sec: This thick, country-style sausage is typically mild in flavor, with garlic and sea salt. One of the most prized is Rosette de Lyon, which is known for its marbling.
Smoked duck breast: Smoked proteins like duck or chicken breast are common on French charcuterie boards. The duck breast is brined, smoked, and fully cooked.
Jambon de Bayonne: Made in Bayonne, in France’s Basque Country, this cured ham from the leg of the hog is the French counterpart to prosciutto. Its flavor is influenced by the breezes that blow off the Atlantic.
Spanish charcuterie: what to buy
Spanish charcuterie like jamón serrano pairs well with accoutrements like Manchego cheese, olives, and marcona almonds.
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Spain is known for its salt-cured jamón, which hangs from hooks in the ceiling at many bars, restaurants, and stores. Other types of Spanish charcuterie are often spiced with pimentón de la Vera, or smoked paprika, for a vibrant red color and bold flavor.
Chorizo: In Spain, this dry-cured sausage is made with ground pork and characterized by its strong use of paprika. It is sometimes smoked but doesn’t have to be. Look for dried, not fresh, chorizo at the store.
Jamón serrano: This nutty, salty ham is aged longer than prosciutto and is bolder and firmer. It’s delicious on a charcuterie board, a sandwich, pan con tomate, or atop huevos rotos, a hearty potato dish with ham and eggs.
Jamón ibérico: This prized cut is best savored on its own. The marbled and deep-red ham is made with Iberian pigs that feast on acorns for a rich flavor. Look for Ibérico de Bellota, which indicates the best quality.
Sobrassada: Piquant and smoky, this spreadable cured pork sausage spread from Mallorca, spiced with pimentón de la Vera, is similar to Italy’s ’nduja.
Lomo embuchado: This dry-cured pork loin sausage is often dusted with pimentón de la Vera. Leaner than jamón, it’s beloved for its intense flavor.
Salchichón: This classic dry-cured Spanish sausage is similar to chorizo, but milder in flavor. It might be spiced with black peppercorns and garlic.
Where to buy charcuterie online
Salumeria Biellese: This New York City institution has been making Italian and French charcuterie for 100 years for top chefs in the city. Salumeria Biellese mostly does wholesale, but you can order specialities like Salami Biellese — made with Piedmontese-style spices — directly.
Fra’Mani: Launched in Berkeley, California, in 2006, by chef and cookbook author Paul Bertolli, Fra’Mani specializes in Italian salumi like pancetta and salami calabrese, as well as American ham.
Olympia Provisions: Founded by first-generation Greek American Elias Cairo in 2009, Olympia Provisions offers French, Italian, and Spanish-style charcuterie. You can also find Greek specialties like rigani loukaniko, a sausage made with oregano, garlic, and orange zest.
Di Bruno Bros: DiBruno Bros is a fourth-generation specialty food business, based in Philadelphia, that imports prosciutto and other cured meats from Italy and Spain.
Murray’s Cheese: While more famous for its cheese, Murray’s is also an excellent source of imported meats like prosciutto di Parma, and domestic sausages like finocchiona.
D’Artagnan: D’Artagnan has an impressive selection of charcuterie, including French specialties like pâté, rillettes, and jambon de Bayonne.
La Tienda: This mail-order shop offers a range of Spanish specialties. La Tienda gets its jamón ibérico and serrano from Fermín, the company responsible for bringing jamón to the U.S.
Cúrate at Home: 2015 F&W Best New Chef Katie Button makes Spanish specialities that can’t be imported in-house, such as sobrasada and chorizo, at Cúrate, her award-winning restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. Stop in if you’re in the area, or mail-order what you need through Cúrate at Home.
Dining and Cooking