charcuterie

noun

char·​cu·​te·​rie (ˌ)shär-ˌkü-tə-ˈrē 

1

a

: cooked or cured meat products (such as salami or prosciutto) that are usually served cold

… we nibbled on rich charcuterie from Béarn, in southwest France, served with slices of warm … bread. There were rillettes of goose, a pork pâté, and … blood sausage.

—Jeffrey Steingarten

… all manner of charcuterie—from wing-shaped pancetta to whole-leg hams …

—Michelle Huneven

… hit the shops in Beaune for a fresh baguette, charcuterie and cheese, and make a picnic of it …

—Harvey Steiman

b

or charcuterie board : a selection of charcuterie accompanied by other foods (such as cheese, nuts, fruit, crackers, or bread) and served usually on a board

The charcuterie is quite the sight with cured meats, cheeses, homemade pickles and spreads (of course) with sourdough.

—Robyn George

… charcuterie boards feature a variety of cold cuts and cured meats, cheese, crackers, bread, fruits and nuts that are served on a wooden board or stone slab.

—Nandini Ganguly

A charcuterie board, for instance, comes with capocollo, Genoa salami, cured duck, mustard, a popover, maple-smoked cheddar and rustic black-pepper crackers …

—Mabel Suen

It's no secret that the grocery store's selection of cheese, crackers, meats, fruits, pickles and other charcuterie goodies is abundant.

—Justine Lee

c

: the culinary art of preparing and serving charcuterie

… newfound enthusiasm for the old-world art of charcuterie means that cured meats of all kinds will be arriving on a menu near you …

—Margo Leach

2

plural charcuteries : a shop specializing in charcuterie

This butcher shop and grocery store is the closest thing New York has to a French charcuterie.

—Mimi Sheraton

With just a few hours' notice, this … charcuterie will customize any picnic lunch or dinner you please.

—Jonna Veitch Carls

Examples of charcuterie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 1931 The 1931, formerly the Orchids at Palm Court, will host an Easter brunch featuring artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, seasonal salads, carving and seafood stations, breakfast entrees, an assortment of desserts and more. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2026

To eat, guests will find carving stations, made-to-order omelets, cheese and charcuterie, seafood, salads and other options on a brunch buffet. —Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026

Mornings bring an abundant spread of cheeses, charcuterie, fruit, pastries and eggs cooked to order – a filling start before a day of sight-seeing. —Vicki Power, TheWeek, 23 Mar. 2026

The brunch stations feature greens, fruit salads, Greek yogurt with assorted toppings, bakery, charcuterie, seafood on ice, an omelet station, and a carving station with prime rib and Atlantic salmon. —Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, pork-butcher's shop, from Middle French chaircuiterie, from chaircutier pork butcher, from chair cuite cooked meat

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for charcuterie

• kashmiri
• beery
• bleary
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• eerie
• kiri
• leary
• leery