Dried Fruit and Cured Meats: ASSEMBLE!
This past Sunday was a busy day. My in-laws had a family get-together to celebrate: Father’s Day, their 54th Wedding Anniversary, my sister in-laws birthday and my step-son’s college graduation.
What better way to provide appetizers than a charcuterie board! Most people have probably heard of a charcuterie spread, even if they aren’t sure how it’s pronounced. Keep reading to find out more!
What Was Old is New Again
Charcuterie boards are all over the place. Pinterest is loaded with ideas. There are endless pages in magazines and blogs talking about how to design a charcuterie board. However, the charcuterie board is not new.
The style of meat preparation can be found far back in history. In the first century AD, Strabo, a Greek philosopher and historian recorded the import of salted meats from Gaul. The Roman’s are possibly the first to regulate the trade of charcuterie. There are Roman laws regulating the proper production of pork joints.
Charcuterie came into its own in 15th century France. It was used to describe a style of food cooking. During the 15th century local guilds regulated the tradesman in food produciton. This style of food preparation was to prepare and cure meats. The typical meats one would find in a charcuterie shop would be bacon, ham, sausage, and so on.
Curing meats was a great way to extend the shelf life of the meat. This was particularly important during times before refrigeration.
Pronunciation
Charcuterie is formed from two French words. The word breaks down into “chair” meaning flesh and “cuit” meaning cooked. Pronunciation is “shahr-ku-tur-ree”. There are a few good videos on Youtube that give a pronunciation.
Our Interpretation
As time has moved along, food fashions have come and gone. The charcuterie board has survived and evolved. Once upon a time, a charcuterie tray would have only included cured meat and meat spreads.
Today however, it can contain all sorts of products. Quickly glancing around the internet and you will find boards that pair cured meats with cheese, olives, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, crackers, jellies/jams, and artisan bread.
To get a good idea of what one can do with a charcuterie tray visit this great page here.
My in-laws bought all the food supplies and provided all the bowls and cutting boards. Another guest and I set about laying out the spread.
We had two meats. Deli ham and salami. We had three types of crackers. Each cracker lent a different texture. Pretzel rods were also available. Our fruit consisted of strawberries, green grapes and purple grapes.
There were three different cheeses. They each had their own flavor and texture. Dried fruit consisted of prunes and apricots. Green and black olives were available. Gerkins could also be found in the spread. We had some different sauces available too. Nut options consisted of salted almonds and pistachios.
With Dried Fruit and Cured Meats, Anything’s Possible
Our charcuterie board was a huge success. The great thing about them is that anything is possible. You can change up the meat, fruit, veggies, dips, crackers and so on. I have already begun planning the layout for our Halloween Party!
Looking for cutting boards, serving utensils, bowls and other items that would level up your charcuterie board? Visit some local places like Founders Crossing, Sunkissed Country or 119 Antiques.