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Charcuterie
Appears in
Published 1990
It is perplexing that a tiny strip of water such as the English Channel should prove, in certain instances, a quite insurmountable barrier. Though we cross it in our millions every summer to revel for a week or two in the pleasures of the Continent, among which the edible pleasures form no small part, the skills of the French charcutier and traiteur, or their Italian, Spanish or German counterparts, seem to find the crossing well nigh impossible.
We do import a handful of salamis and cured hams, but it is rare to find a butcher or owner of a delicatessen who makes a range of cooked meat products that can compare with those found in the smallest of shops across the Channel. Even our own indigenous products, such as brawn and potted meats, have been devalued by commercialisation.