“Charcuterie, the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meats, is the result of humans’ need to preserve meat before refrigeration was invented. Today, when we say “charcuterie,” we are most often referring to the acts of preparing, assembling, and artfully arranging cured meats with cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and crackers or breads.”
Source: https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/what-is-charcuterie