Food & Drink

Perfecting the art of charcuterie

THE MAGNIFICENT SPREAD you see here is the pinnacle of thousands of years of smoking and salt-curing, brining and fermenting, ripening, seasoning and sweetening (essentially, everything that got us through the pre-refrigerator era). We’re in the golden age of charcuterie, with chefs in every city showcasing the bounty of their regions and experimenting with these processes for the addictive flavours and textures they give us, but for our money, chef Steve Mitton of Ottawa’s Brothers Beer Bistro (brothersbeerbistro.com) rothersbeerbistro.com) is doing it better than just about anybody. This is his perfect charcuterie board: a finely balanced smorgasbord of locally sourced and made-in-house smoked meats and rich pâté, âté, cheeses crumbly and creamy, tangy pickled vegetables and sweet preserves.