charcuterie
4 synonyms for charcuterie, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Cured, smoked or preserved meats served cold — salami, prosciutto, pâté, terrines, sausages and similar — usually presented sliced on a board with bread, cheese and pickles.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use charcuterie
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
charcuterie board
charcuterie plate
a selection of charcuterie
artisan charcuterie
Neutral but slightly upmarket; it signals a restaurant or deli context rather than a supermarket packet of ham.
Etymology
From French charcuterie, from chair cuite 'cooked flesh', originally the trade of the pork butcher.
Full origin of charcuterie →Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce charcuterie?
Roughly shar-KOO-tuh-ree, with the French sh at the start and the final syllable light. The middle syllable carries the stress, and the R at the end is barely sounded in English.
What is the difference between a charcuterie board and a cheese board?
Strictly, charcuterie means the meat, so a charcuterie board is built around cured meats with cheese, bread and pickles as accompaniments. A cheese board is the reverse. In everyday use the two have blurred, and charcuterie board is now often applied to any grazing board.
Is charcuterie always pork?
Traditionally yes — the French trade was specifically the pork butcher's — but the word now covers cured duck, beef bresaola, game terrines and more. Pork still dominates most boards.
