Delicatessen products - Basic meat products

The extreme diversity of charcuterie specialties (hams, dry and cooked sausages, lardons, pâtés, rillettes, savory pastry specialties, etc.) implies a wide variety of technological foundations.

The production of these preparations requires meat raw materials that can be classified into three main categories (three types of "minerals"):

• lean (muscle tissue) ;

• fat (adipose tissue) ;

• composite materials or ores: lean and fat closely associated (e.g. pork belly).

These three main types of ore are mainly derived from pigs (pork butcher pigs and coche (mother of pork butcher pigs)). However, for certain products, lean and/or fat cattle (or veal) or poultry may be used. The flesh of certain fish can also be used.

This article on charcuterie products is the first part of a larger series which will successively cover processing, ingredients and additives, and quality control.