Pâté is a rich, savoury preparation of ground or puréed meat — most often liver — blended with fat and seasoning into a spreadable or sliceable paste. From the silky, buttery smoothness of a chicken-liver mousse to the coarse, rustic bite of a pâté de campagne studded with pork and pepper, it tastes deeply meaty and mineral, mellowed by fat and lifted by wine, spice and aromatics — a cornerstone of the French charcuterie tradition eaten cold or at room temperature, spread thickly on bread.