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Charcuterie Boards
I asked my dad for inspiration on what to write about and the first suggestion he gave was cheese. I don’t think I have enough to say about cheese to write an entire blog post about it so I decided to add cured meats, fruit, and crackers to the equation and write about charcuterie boards. If you didn’t know, charcuterie boards are the pinnacle of aesthetically pleasing, boujee, delicious snacks. This post will describe the history of charcuterie boards, which I decided to look into out of curiosity, and some of my favorite charcuterie board tips and tricks.
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| November 2020 |
The next most googled question about charcuterie boards behind “What is a charcuterie board?” is “How do I pronounce charcuterie?” (shar-ku-ter-ie). It is a French word meaning “the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and meat products… an assortment of meats, cheeses, artisan breads, olives, fruit, and nuts, all artfully arranged on a serving board” (see blog). The French tradition originally only included kinds of meats but as it got popular outside of France other foods were added. Charcuterie is a great appetizer substitute for store-bought crudite that no one really wants to eat at a party. Or you can do what my family and I do and eat it for dinner with wine or aperol spritzes.
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| June 2021 |
As someone who’s eaten a lot of charcuterie boards–I only dabble in their assembly–I have a few recommendations if you feel like making one of your own.
Start small. There are some very elaborate charcuterie boards made by catering companies and amateur enthusiasts that you may want to replicate, but don’t get in over your head. I recommend trying out two cured meats, two or three cheeses, a couple kinds of crackers or bread, and jam or fresh fruit to start.
Get inspiration on Pinterest. If you want to make something aesthetically pleasing but have no idea where to start look at Pinterest.
When eating charcuterie, take bites of everything together! Half the fun of a charcuterie board is finding the different flavor combinations on the board that make the perfect bite. Although don’t make the mistake of doing what my friend Matt did and put a pickle, soft cheese, sour cherry jam, and salami on a cracker (barf).
Happy charcutering!
Your dad sounds like a funny guy. Of all the things to suggest, he picked cheese. Just great. Also thank you for the charcuterie tips!
ReplyDeleteHaha, thank you for introducing what is Charcuterie to me Lucy. I remembered that I actually accidentally order Charcuterie several times at the restaurants without knowing what that was. I was always amazed by how organized each meat is and how this meal is scientifically planned (what is inside the charcuterie board and why). Glad to see that you know so much about Charcuterie!!!
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