How to Make the Best Charcuterie Board

Want to impress people at your next event or simply enjoy a homemade charcuterie board? These classic appetizer platters make the perfect antipasti for any occasion.

However, you might be new to creating your board. In this brief guide, we’ll go over the different components of the ideal charcuterie board, with a focus on some high-quality Italian and Spanish options to hit your taste buds just right.

Use a Blend of Cheeses

One of the main items to include on your charcuterie board is cheese. Go for some variety with numerous flavors and textures to mix things up.

For example, there are many Italian cheeses you can use to lend some elegance to your board, such as:

• Stracchino di Crescenza: This is a rindless, spreadable, and soft-ripened cheese that comes from the foot of northern Italy’s Alps.
• Pecorino Romano Dop: This cheese consists of sheep’s milk and ages from 10 months to one year before hitting shelves. It hails from Nepi, a countryside region north of Rome, Italy.
• Goat Cheese: You can also try an Italian wine-soaked semi-soft goat cheese that adds both a flavorful and colorful option to your board.

Accompany With Cured Meats

Pair your cheeses with some cured meats (salumi in Italian) and add even more savoriness and spice to your charcuterie board.

Here are some good options that work with a range of cheeses:

• Casella’s Finocchiella Salame: This American-made Italian style sausage consists of dry-cured fennel and uses an Italian-style production process.
• Soppressata Piccante: Cesare Casella’s Soppressata Piccante is a traditional, dry-cured Italian sausage made with American farm pork and Calabrian chilies, aged for 6 weeks without nitrites or nitrates.
• Salchichón de Bellota Ibérico: Like Italian salami, salchichón, or chopped Ibérico pork meat, this authentic Spanish meat offers a robust flavor profile using various spices and pork fat.

Choose a Variety of Crackers and Biscuits

No savory charcuterie board is complete without some crackers and biscuits (e.g., Italian taralli) to add some crunch.

Here are some ideas to get you started on finding the right crackers and biscuits for your board:

• Pane di Musica Mitica®: For something light as a feather and crisp, consider getting these golden semolina flatbread crackers, which go great with some salt and olive oil.
• Classic Taralli Mitica®: This will give you a good taste of authentic Italian taralli, a unique Italian cracker consisting of white wine and olive oil with added flavors and crumbliness. 
• Toketti di Pane Carasau: These small Sardinian flatbread snacks are crispy and thin, working well with cheeses, dips, and meats with a similar texture to pita and tortilla chips.

Sweeten Things With Some Jam and Honey

If you or your guests have a bit of a sweet tooth, consider adding a few jams or compotes and a variety of honey to your charcuterie board.

There are many jams and honey products you can use for your board, including:

• Candied pears with mustard extract for a mix of sweet and tangy
• Blood orange marmellata that’s both sweet and tart
• Rhododendron honey offers earthy and full flavors
• Sunflower honey that comes with a gentle floral and butterscotch taste

Create the Perfect Charcuterie Board With the Best Ingredients

Using high-quality and reliably sourced cheeses, meats, and sweets, you can craft the ideal charcuterie board that leaves you and your guests happy with your selection.

If you want to find everything you need for your next charcuterie board, shop here at Nicola’s Marketplace, where we offer some of the freshest and most authentic Italian flavors around including some meticulously sourced products from Europe and beyond. Regardless of your preferred flavors or textures, we’ll help you find everything you need in our complete hand picked inventory.