Ah the Charcuterie board! My favorite Thanksgiving appetizer, especially when paired with nice glass of champagne or wine. (YES PLEASE!)

I wish there was a magic formula I could give you to make a baller charcuterie board. The truth is, making a charcuterie board is mostly just collecting ingredients like meats, cheeses, nuts, dips, fruits and veggies. Then arranging them in a way that looks great, and tastes even better!

I know, no duh! Right? That probably sounds like the most obvious statement ever, but hear me out!

Learning to Assemble Charcuterie

Alright, first a little more background on how I learned to assemble charcuterie boards.

My dad is from the French speaking part of Switzerland, and a lot of my family still lives overseas. Meat and cheese are a huge part of Swiss cuisine (in fact I would say it makes up a MAJORITY of Swiss cuisine).

Switzerland was (and still is to an extent) a rural country, centered around cattle and dairy farming. Back in the day, the Swiss farmers didn’t have much, but what they did have was a lot of cheese, bread, potatoes, and meat. Make due with what you’ve got right?

One of my favorite meals to make when visiting my grandparents, is a dish called “speck”. Speck is essentially a dried meat similar to prosciutto. It’s usually served with an assortment of other dried meats, like cured salami, dried sausages, and cheeses. (Basically a charcuterie board with a fancy name)

My grandparents taught me how to assemble a speck board when I was very young, and that knowledge later translated into making charcuterie boards.

Now I’m going to try to transfer what my grandparents taught me, onto you!

Pick a Charcuterie Theme

What I find to be the most helpful when assembling a charcuterie board, is to first think of a theme or destination before gathering your ingredients.

For example, an Italian charcuterie board may use grapes, Italian salami, prosciutto, and Italian cheeses like parmesan and mozzarella. A German themed charcuterie board on the other hand, might incorporate pretzels, cornichons, spicy mustards, and german sausages or dried meats (like speck).

Think about what foods will pair well together when eaten in different combinations.

After all, that’s really what assembling a charcuterie board is all about: creating an assortment of different meats, cheeses, and small snacks that compliment each other.

Create a List of Ingredients

Once you’ve picked a theme, create a list of ingredients.

There’s no hard or fast rule when it comes to charcuterie. However, most charcuterie boards contain about 2-3 different meats, and 2-3 different cheeses. Some also include nuts, fruits, veggies, and a spread like hummus or mustard, with some crackers or crostini for scooping. 

Assembling Charcuterie

After you’ve put together an ingredients list for your charcuterie board, all that’s left is to do is assemble!

I like to start with a large serving platter or cutting board as my base.

Then I place smaller items like crackers and dips into containers, before adding them to my butcher block or serving tray.

Next, you’ll want to start laying out different cheeses and meats on your serving tray to fill in gaps.

Cut fresh slices of dried meat as thin as possible, or use a store-bought package with a variety of different charcuterie meats, like I did! I say let the deli do the work for you!

Fold and bunch your charcuterie meats into small bundles. This will give your charcuterie board a professional feel, while also making it easier for people to grab appropriate sized portions when snacking.

Try not to over stuff your serving platter at this point, leave some room to add other complimentary snacks.

Add Finishing Touches

Once the main components of your charcuterie board are assembled, it’s time to start filling in any remaining gaps on your serving platter.

Aim to create clusters that will go well together when grabbed haphazardly. I like to fill in the smaller gaps with assorted nuts, fruits, veggies, and other decorative elements like herbs (ex. rosemary, thyme or lavender).

Serve!

Now that the finishing touches on your charcuterie board are done, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

I know it can sometimes feel daunting assembling a charcuterie board from scratch, but try not to overthink it. Charcuterie is meant to be fun and tasty, not perfect!

The most important thing is to provide a variety of snacking options that you and your guests will love! Don’t be afraid to have fun with it and try out new fun and different flavor combinations!

Cheers!

-M

Want to Learn More?

Please leave a comment below If you have any questions about assembling charcuterie boards, or have some helpful tips of your own!

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