Charcuterie board: tips for a perfect masterpiece

Creating a charcuterie board is not just about thinking it through. The salumi, like cheeses, have a great diversification and composition based on the meat, processing, aging, cures, residual moisture, fat, marbling, intensity of flavor, and the texture of the meat. The type of cut, the knife, the slicer, or whether it is eaten with a spoon should not be underestimated.

First of all, let's say that no charcuterie board can ever be defined as perfect. Rather, one can arrive at the best possible board from the standpoint of selection of the raw materials, verticality of succulence, creativity in sourcing, rarity of the product, and finally, but no less important, design and arrangement of the salumi.

THE RULES FOR CREATING A CHARCUTERIE BOARD

Are there any rules? Of course! Even in the field of salumi, it is always better to decide on the level of aromatic intensity and succulence of the product. You can't start strong and end weak. Our palate, as always, needs to gradually acclimate to the flavors and tastes. In practice, we should only fatigue it at the end if we want to understand something about the subsequent tastings. For this reason, at the beginning, you will always find the leaner and less aged salumi. Then you move to those increasingly marbled, up to the most aged and fatty salumi. It is logical to expect, for example, that a Veneto salami or a Vicentina soppressa should be at the beginning, as they consist mostly of spiced fresh meat, usually with not too pronounced aging levels.

You always go from the sweetest to the saltiest and spiciest. From a Prosciutto di Parma, then a San Daniele prosciutto, then a Sauris, and finally a Tuscan prosciutto and a Black Nebrodi pig prosciutto. The lardo usually has its position at the end of a board. However, if there are only lard, it's better to start with Arnad lardo and then a Colonnata lardo.

Based on the marbling, which is the degree of fat infiltration in a salume, the rule from the leanest to the fattiest always applies. The Bresaola from Valtellina always comes before the Coppa di Parma, which in turn comes before the Pancetta, whether rolled or cured.

Another rule is the salume from the most neutral to the spiciest. The curing and spicing techniques of Northern Italy are generally more restrained than those from Tuscany or Umbria. The butchery of central Italy has always had to deal with saltless bread due to a political stance against papal taxes imposed on salt. Hence, you have products with great flavor and intensity of spices. A Tuscan board will therefore always be particularly structured and demanding.

So far, we have talked about raw or uncooked meat salumi. But when it comes to the latter, another world opens up. From cooked ham to roasts, ending with slices and fillets of cooked beef, roasts, carrè, etc. The salted meat has its own intermediary position as it is "cooked" only by the action of salt.

The perfect arrangement on a charcuterie board

If cheeses always require a sequence where the simplest and first one to taste is placed at noon on the plate, salumi can be arranged in various ways. However, one must consider a vertical tasting journey. It would be perfect to always use olive wood for the arrangement of salumi. Better than a cold plate. A lukewarm or hot plate is not good. The salumi, if possible, for ease of consumption, should never be stacked one on top of the other but placed slice to slice. The slices can also be rolled, raised, or beautified as desired. Salumi, like cheeses, should always be served at room temperature. Never from the refrigerator. Better if from the cellar. It's best to keep very fatty salumi and lardo a bit cooler. Some lard is served freshly cut, as is tradition in Emilia, served in small cups or jars made of glass or ceramics.

When to prepare the salumi for the board

For the most part, charcuterie salumi are usually thinly sliced. Therefore, they cannot be prepared too far in advance. The best thing would be to serve them freshly sliced. You always start with those cut with a knife, which will have a greater thickness, finishing with the slicer and then the knife-cut lardo.

When to serve charcuterie boards

They are particularly versatile products and can usually be presented at the beginning of a lunch, during a dinner as a second course, as an appetizer, as lounge time, or even for Nordic countries, a charcuterie board is suitable starting from breakfast. Logically, if it's before a sumptuous and hearty dinner or lunch, it is always better to think of a maximum of 4 or 5 types of salumi without overdoing it. It’s always better to try to use lesser-known new salumi that can intrigue the diners from the start. Food at the table should always be told a bit, without being pretentious but with great simplicity and spontaneity. Charcuterie boards are hardly served at the end of a meal. Rather, they can replace a second course.

What to pair with a charcuterie board

It is not easy to pair other foods with salumi. Sometimes they are so succulent and rich in flavor that they fill on their own. However, there are cases where salumi prefer gourmet pairings. For example, lardo is a salume that often pairs well with nuts, particularly walnuts. Well, we cannot forget about Prosciutto Crudo and melon… it’s a true Italian must! Another pairing is Bresaola wrapped around a slice of williams pear. It's delightful to pair large Prosciutti crudi from more or less wild breeds, with dark wool, such as Silano black pig or Nebrodi, or wild boar salumi, with some quince jelly or, even better, fig mostarda or Tropea red onion.

Bernardo Pasquali