extra large charcuterie board is an art - yes artwork of preparing and preserving meat, in particular pork. You might think you have never had it, but unless you were raised within a vegetarian home, you've most probably had it thousands of times. American extra large charcuterie board, sadly has long been commercialized, beaten into submission, and the outcome is sausage that shrinks after you place it in a heated pan, "bologna" that doesn't even look like a true bologna, and hot dogs which i probably would not feel safe providing to my dog.
All is not lost. In the past several years, there has been a renaissance of sorts, beginning in traditional French bistros and little by little spreading to the public. If you so choose, anyone can purchase genuine prosciutto di parma in addition to soppressata at your deli counter in many high end food markets. And folks DO purchase it! If you're reading this and thinking "Why would I invest $12 per lb on dried up, raw pork?" then maybe you should stop reading this, visit a shop and purchase some.
Not a pound, not necessarily a half lb.. Purchase two slices. Paper thin. Try them and your issues will certainly be clarified. If everybody in America did that, this country would be a far better place. A far better place with fewer fast food eateries and much more artisanal food items. If I could help, even in a tiny way to help to make that a reality, then I would have attained my goal.
Charcuterie has its beginnings within the very foundations of civilization, in mesopotamia as well as the fertile crescent. With out being able to preserve animal meat coming from slaughtered livestock, a reliable supply of protein is extremely hard to come by. What started as need with time grew to become an art form. Taking a cut of pork and curing it, then drying it gradually for several weeks, or cold smoking it to slow down microbial growth has a great unintended side-effect.
It changes the flavors, consistency and excellence of the particular meat itself. It takes a regular cut of meat and turns it in to something unique. The 15th century French charcutier was most likely the first group to take this business and elevate it to an art form. These people were not permitted to market uncooked pork, so to be able to attract more buyers they began to prepare, cure, stuff, and smoke pork goods in interesting new ways. Six hundred years later, we have confit de canard, prosciutto di parma, and all types of dried and/or emulsified sausages on account of those engenius tradesmen.