Olympia Provisions An American Charcuterie Cookbook

Olympia Provisions is an American charcuterie cookbook. Charcuterie is the process of preserving meat for a longer shelf life. The method of preserving meats began long ago in an effort to keep meat from going bad. This craft is now making a comeback into the hearts of people that really care about meat making; people like Michelle Cairo, Elias Cairo (brother and sister) and co-owner Tyler Gaston. Together they own Olympia Provisions; a fast growing charcuterie business as well as two restaurants, that are located in Portland, Oregon. Elias is the lead salumist, a salami making expert and you can feel the love and excitement about his craft throughout the book. There are step by step instructions, starting off with simple instructions to the very detailed. This is the kind of a cookbook that one would collect, full of personal stories, history, technique and fun with amazing photography.

My husband Don, is the one who first got excited about this book. It’s all about charcuterie, a process of curing meats, something that he has always dreamed about. He even received a sausage grinder for Christmas to start making his own in anticipation. Don followed the recipe exactly for the breakfast sausage, but did not use fatback so our patties were very lean.

He made them into patties instead of stuffing them into casings. I can see him going crazy at this new “hobby”, especially while we are in Oregon for the summer as we has access to so many fresh meats and spices.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."