White-jacketed sausages dangling from the roof alongside corpulent pigs' legs; below sit meats moulded with old-world tools, glistening aspic and cross-sectioned, claret meats.
It’s not a sight easily found in New Zealand – it’s best imagined. Those cylinders and tranches are the result of ancient technique dedicated to the preservation of meat. Every piece of the animal was used, either preserved or eaten quickly over the following days. In a time before refrigeration, this was out of necessity as much as it was out of enjoyment.
Most cultures have their own versions of meat preservation, but it seems the French, Italian and Spanish cultures are most famous for it. They have honed the craft over thousands of years, with special ways of preserving different cuts and animals.
But New Zealand is experiencing something of a renaissance, or simply a naissance, in charcuterie, with local producers bringing foreign tradition to our shores.
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The term charcuterie goes back a long way, but it’s a job that’s largely been absorbed by butchers over time. However, a small but growing number of New Zealand charcutiers are practising the art, echoing a renewed interest in charcuterie worldwide.
Philippe Arregui is one of four Frenchmen creating terrines, rillettes, pâtés, parfaits and sausages for Auckland-based L'Authentique Charcuterie. Arregui is originally from France’s Basque country and his knowledge of charcuterie runs deep – essentially it’s in his DNA. Arregui grew up around meat, with his father a butcher and his grandfather a charcutier.
“Europe’s story for food, it’s a really long story,” Arregui says in his thick accent. “The process of keeping the food was absolutely necessary all over Europe."
from Olivia W’s Blog Rss http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/87547288/Charcuterie-101-New-Zealands-pioneering-meat-preservers
from
http://oliviawhinham79.tumblr.com/post/157186106061
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