Pocher means “to poach,” the process where food is cooked in a liquid at a temperature below where the liquid boils. The liquid may be water, stock, oil, or fat. Poaching is used to slow cook tough meat so the final product is very tender.

Saumurer means “to brine,” the process where food is preserved by exposing it for a long period to a concentrated salt solution. The salt causes both interstitial and intercellular water to exude from the meat. The resulting texture of the meat is very similar to raw meat. This is a classic means of food preservation.

Fumer means “to smoke,” the process where food is preserved by exposing it for a long period to wood smoke. In modern times, smoking is performed more for flavor than for preservation, so the time the meat is smoked has been reduced from one to two weeks to six to 24 hours. Smoking may be done over “cold” smoke so the meat remains raw during smoking, or over “hot” smoke so the meat is cooked while it is smoking. Most commercially smoked meats are hot smoked.

Saler means “to salt,” the process where food is preserved by exposing it for a long period to salt. The salt causes both interstitial and intercellular water to exude from the meat. The resulting texture of the meat is decidedly more “leathery” than raw meat, and the meat may need soaking before cooking to reduce its salinity. This is a classic means of food preservation.

Poitrine de porc literally means the “pig’s breast” in English, but is generally referred to as a “pork belly.” Depending on the butchering method employed, the belly will yield about 12 to 18% of the meat cut from a pig’s carcass. The belly can be described as flat layers of lean meat separated by thin layers of fat. The first layer of meat below the skin is generally lighter in color than the other layers.

Even in France, purchases of pork products from the local charcuterie have declined in recent years in favor of chicken, fish, and vegetable products. But of the classic elements of the art of charcuterie, those made of pork belly remain on the menu.

All the recipes shown on this page are made from pork belly, and all are classic preparations.