Why Irish Charcuterie Is On The Rise

The French have charcuterie, the Spanish embutidos and the Italians affettati misti. But we don’t yet seem to have a name for a uniquely Irish selection of cured meats. That might have to change, as there has been a big increase in interest in producing salami and air-dried meats here.

Chefs such as Rob Krawczyk at Brabazon restaurant at Tankardstown House in Slane and Ciaran Sweeney at Forest & Marcy in Dublin, are making their own selections in-house and offering all-Irish charcuterie plates. Small artisan producers are proliferating, butchers are branching out into this area, and smallholders and keen home cooks are having a go too.

Colum Lanigan Ryan is food director at La Rousse Foods in Dublin, which supplies gourmet ingredients to restaurants and hotels. He estimates that the company’s cured charcuterie sales amount to €1.5 million annually, most of the 60,000kg coming from France, Italy and Spain. But that is set to change.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Irish Times