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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2270 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 17, 2025

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Anyone here familiar with charcuterie boards? My dad has his birthday today and my ma wants to make one for the first time since no one in India eats this sorta food. I bought some gouda, crackers, nuts, olives and other widely available things like salamis to add to my board. Not much in terms of cold cuts or cheeses is widely available here plus those who drink don't drink wine at all given how bad wine locally made here is which means people don't pair it with food the way euros do. I am also helping her make some curry, hummus and toum. Cooking takes up a lot of time, wont like to do it again.

But back to boards, are there food or beverages you guys pair together regularly? The most complex I ever got was irish cream I made alongside crackers.

Edit - here's a photo of the board I made, had it with sparkling wine.

You did a great job!

You can google some "official rules" but given your location that has no culture for this I have two thoughts.

  1. A big chunk of this is aesthetics. If it photographs well you did your job (and personally I think yours does, but it is subjective!). Nerdy optimizers aside most people are just going to take a photo, share it on social media, and then devour the thing.

  2. Use what's available. Don't use low quality salami because that's all you have. It's pretty common to use some fruit and a jam or something. But you aren't going to have access to Harry and David pears so don't try.

In America most of the time we use more of a variety of cheese and crackers but again use what you got. I have no idea if you can find an Italian specialty store in India that has some real cured meats but if you can that is the way.

Thanks! I had with sparkling wine, India has little to no meats to offer, cold cuts are even harder to sort so I had to make do with salamis of various flavors, cheeses not so much but I wanted to do a good job instead of whining about it. The guests at my dad's birthday really liked it too. Honey, cheese, meat, and something briney like olives go really well together. I never thought I would add honey to a snack with salami.

There are no Italian meats here, I do wonder how good the original french one tastes given it originated there.

Yeah you made do with what you had which was wise, but next time you are in a country where you can get a real one do so!

Cold cuts have a surprisingly high quality ceiling, and cheese is something that can taste incredibly different depending on what you got.

Champagne or dry sparkling wine is the most general pairing with charcuterie boards, as they tend to go well with a large variety of cold meats, cheeses, nuts etc and are conducive to a cocktailing environment in which people arr constantly nibbling.

Belgian beer is also a good way to go, and if you want to feel fancy they often come in larger bottles. Dubbels, Tripels, Quads, strong golden ales are very good for this type of thing. Brands like Duvel, Unibroue, La Choufe, Gulden Draak are all reliable choices.

Also dry, still Rosè wine made in a Provençal style is a pretty fun pairing and is light and easy.

For non alcoholic just making a tonic water bar with ice and a wide variety of freah fruit slices that are cut to size to easily put in a tall glass with ice and tonic would be fun, people can make their own like tonic spritzer style drinks. Plus there are a load of different styles of tonic waters nowadays to choose from so you could have a variety in an ice bucket.

Basically all of the above are good pairing for the ‘generic’ charcuterie board of sliced charcuterie, hard & soft cheeses, olives, nuts, dried fruit, crackers of all types, etc etc etc

I had mine with some sparkling wine that had some gold flakes in it, two glasses, not a lot though I do feel a little elated now. I need to move out asap so that I can do this more often.

Anyone here familair with charcuterie boards?

Yes. You don't put cheese on a charcuterie board.

Don't ever serve me charcuterie without cheese.

What, why, is meat, cheese, crackers, fruit preserves, some dips and nuts not how it works?

It's a board of assorted meats.

The European mind cannot comprehend cheese in a charcuterie board:

It features a selection of preserved foods, especially cured meats or pâtés, as well as cheeses and crackers or bread. In Europe 'charcuterie' refers to cold meats (e.g. salami, ham etc.) and the term 'charcuterie board' would not be widely used for a board with cheese, fruit and a small amount of meat as is the case in North America.

Can we just give the Europeans this one and go back to calling it a meat and cheese tray/platter? Simple, descriptive, unpretentious, and less French. What’s not to love?

Agree if the French give up "royale with cheese".

Right, and I also insist that an entrée is something eaten before the main course.

What are you talking about? Literally every charcuterie board I've seen has had cheese on it.

I think that’s a bit pedantic, most people nowadays use the phrase to describe a large spread on a wooden board which includes meats and cheeses, but also olives / crackers / nuts with various sauces and dips like honey and mustard.

It’s a whole genre at this point.

Yeah, beyond just the aesthetics, adding all that stuff in different combinations makes it taste pretty good. I used whipped honey.

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