Surely you have heard and read it hundreds of times but you are not sure what these establishments that are not only abundant in Spain have in common. From now on you will be an expert and you will be able to explain to others what this wonder called delicatessen consists of, wherever you are.
As with almost everything in this life, we have no choice but to pull a bit of history to understand the origins of charcuterie. And it seems that the first traces are in ancient Egyptsince its inhabitants used to lengthen the life of the meat they ate using salt as a preservative.
Later, at the time of the Roman empire, the slaughter of pigs became a popular practice and this led them to make sausages and cured meats. Of all the civilizations, this was undoubtedly the one that gave greater prominence to the conservation of meat through the salting system.
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In a short time it ended up becoming a technique used in other parts of the world, which came to mark a before and after in our eating habits. There were many findings that emerged from here. For example, the fact of prolonging the life of products of animal origin with salt, drying and curing, ended up giving way to cecinawhich basically consists of the dehydration of beef or goat meat starting from curing.
The Germans, how could it be otherwise, also contributed their own in the evolution and diversification of charcuterie. In fact, today they are still widely recognized for their skill in making the most varied sausages one can imagine.
And as a result of the preservation techniques used in the delicatessen industry, you can now taste authentic gastronomic gems in these establishments that we hope will never disappear. One of them is ham in its different variants (Iberian, Serrano, York ham, Italian prosciutto,…). And it is not the only product that has achieved this. Sausages, chorizos, longanizas and sausages have also been able to find a place in the gastronomy of many countries around the world, as well as blood sausages, sobrassadas, mortadella, sausages and morcones.
Finally, it would be good to clarify that in the current delicatessens that have chosen to diversify their offer, offering other types of food such as salted meats, pickles, cheeses, preserves and other related products.
Charcuterie: origin of the term
Originally, the term used for this type of product was delicatessen (In fact, it is likely that you have heard your parents or grandparents talk about chacinas). This concept covered preparations such as sausages, salami, ham or sausages, among other sausages.
However, as the years went by, the word “charcuterie” ended up establishing itself, which we borrowed from the French term “charcuterie” (in Old French it was called “chair cuiterie”).
It should be noted that, unlike the delicatessen, the delicatessen refers to establishments that are responsible for selling products derived from pork or other animals. This includes preserves, salted meats or cold cuts.
Our delicatessen comes to represent what in Italy it was known as salumeria. This word has its root in the Latin noun salt, which makes perfect sense because in these establishments preserved salted food was sold.
One last note, in Latin America, in addition to using the delicatessen, you can visit delicatessens or delicatessens.
In DAP | Beyond salami and bologna: the definitive guide to Italian cured meats (and where to buy them online)
In DAP | Nine international recipes with sausages in Directo al Paladar