What is a charcuterie?

A charcuterie is a delicatessen that specializes in dressed meats and meat dishes, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It can also refer to specialty meat products such as sausages, hams and other pork products.

The origin of charcuterie is from the Middle French word chaircuiterie, meaning, literally, pork-butcher's shop, as well as the word chaircutier, meaning pork butcher. The first known use of charcuterie was around 1858, as reported by Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Meats in charcuterie were originally prepared as a way to keep meat from going bad before refrigerators were invented, but today they are prepared this way for the flavors attained from the process.