A Tasty Charcuterie Board Is a Delicious Treat

When it comes to enjoying your food, a charcuterie board is hard to beat. Charcuterie boards are great for an individual looking for a tasty treat, or for a big party full of people that you’d like to keep fed and who can nibble as they’d like throughout the evening. Charcuterie technically refers to cured meats, but a charcuterie board starts with cured meats and expands to a wide variety of items. Naturally, cheeses are a part of a board, and then people can choose from other items like crackers, fruits, nuts, veggies and dips. Essentially, a charcuterie board can be whatever you want it to be. Arranging your charcuterie board is a fun experience and is up to each individual. Find the right platter (many people love wood for this) and have fun with it! 

Charcuterie Board Meats

For people who eat meat, this is a great place to start your charcuterie board. You can find a wide selection of cured meats at the grocery store or butcher shop. If you have a local farmer’s market, that might be a good place to pick up some special or rarer meats as well. Which meats do people choose? A lot of people like to start with some ham and prosciutto. Cured Chorizo makes for an excellent option and if it’s spicy, that’s even more fun. Also, a lot of italian cured meats like sopressata and capicola can be chosen and enjoyed. The thing about choosing meats for a charcuterie board is that you are really in control. If you want to avoid cured meats, and instead look at some delicious deli slices of turkey, then go for it! Enjoy what you love! 

Charcuterie Board Cheeses

The second item that most charcuterie boards choose are at least one type of cheese. Typically people offer up a mix of hard cheeses pre cut into small pieces, or softer cheeses which may have a spreader available to ensure that the right amount is taken and enjoyed. 

While cheddar is a common cheese, you can easily elevate it by picking something a little more innovative. A caramelized onion cheddar just oozes incredible flavor and works on almost anything. Swiss is of course delicious and the visual appeal is high. Brie cheese is always a treat and many consider it a staple in larger charcuterie boards. There’s plenty of other great options like gouda, gruyere, havarti and goat cheeses as well. 

Charcuterie Extras

This is a great place to balance out your board. Meat and cheese is delicious, and fancy meat and cheese is often extra delicious. But that being said, a proper palette can appreciate some balance. Start with the savory. A lot of people like pickled or brined items. Think of olives, dill pickles and cocktail onions. The idea is that these offer some bite and a counter to the savory meats. 

Vegetables can be a useful item. Typically these are simple cut veggies that you might find in a vegetable tray at a party. Think of carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower as potential staples. The key for the vegetables is to find the right dip to elevate them to something extra. Many people enjoy some hummus with a charcuterie board, but a spicy ranch will work wonders as well. 

There is a lot of savory flavor when it comes to charcuterie boards. Some sweets are a great way to balance it out. Rather than sugary treats, this is best coming from fruits. Convenience comes from not having to do a lot of prep other than washing the fruit. Some blueberries are a good option for people who don’t want the flavor to be too sweet. Grapes are also excellent as you can eat as few or as many as you’d like. You can also choose dried fruit as a complement to the charcuterie board. This is great for items that are inconvenient to eat in small pieces. Dried pineapple and dried mango are great choices. 

Finally, it’s often important to have some tasty crackers or other conveyances for people to easily consume some of the charcuterie board items. Having multiple types of crackers is a nice novelty. You can also toast up some baguette slices or pita triangles to offer even more choices.