What I love about charcuterie boards is that they can become the show-stopping piece at parties with its grandness and extravagance. With a beautiful wooden board as the vessel for all the various ingredients, you can truly make a stunning display of meats, cheeses, crackers, and fruits that will have your guests coming back for more. I have to say though it’s the versatility of building a charcuterie board that makes them having it at your next gathering a must! It lets you be creative and show off your personality because you’re in the driver’s seat when you get to customize your own. You get to feature all of your personal favourite food items, and if you’re not a fan of a certain food like olives for example, well hey feel free to leave them out. You’re the boss!
To make an exceptional charcuterie board though you have to start off with a solid foundation and then build around it. The best charcuterie boards out there will have quality meats and cheeses to pick from. Those are your star ingredients. Then you can supplement in your other favourite items like your fruits and veggies after. And if I were to walk down memory lane and go through all of my past vacations where I had the best meats and cheeses, hands down the stand-out would have to be my Euro trip I took back in 2014 in Italy. The pasta, pizza, gelato is of course absolutely dynamite in Italy. Everyone can tell you that. What I didn’t expect though was also how amazing their various meats and cheeses were as well. It’s truly a country made perfect for foodies where the dishes I’ve eaten there has always been a goal of mine to be re-created back here at home. And with that being said I think a charcuterie board is the perfect place to start.
An interesting fact is that Italy is actually home to the world’s best known and finest air-cured prosciutto. So if we’re going to build a charcuterie board with a solid foundation in its quality, authenticity, and tradition, three Italian products you should most definitely have is Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO, Prosciutto di Parma PDO, and Grana Padano PDO (Protected Designation of Origin).
However even in Italy you may not get the 100% authentic natural prosciutto. You would need to specifically ask for prosciutto by production area - Prosciutto di San Daniele from the San Daniele del Friuli region, and Prosciutto di Parma from the Parma region in Northern Italy. Both of these prosciutto have a lot in common. Both are:
PDO-certified by the European Union - your guaranteed quality and authenticity
Produced using similar traditional methods under very strict supervision
Produced using only two ingredients - locally sourced pork and sea salt
With these similarities between these two Italian prosciuttos, they do also have their differences. It is the terroir and the climate of their respective regions that give each ham a subtly different look and flavour. With their own unique taste, your favourite pick will be entirely a matter of personal preference.
Below here is a further breakdown of the three Italian products.
PROSCIUTTO DI SAN DANIELE
Produced in North Eastern Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giuila region
All-natural and dry cured for at least 13 months
Only the selected thighs from Italian pigs, sea salt, and the microclimate (air) of San Daniele de Friuli are used in making this product
Wine: sparking wine or fruity red and white wines pair best because they work well with the slightly salty and sweet flavour of the ham
PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA
Air-cured prosciutto made only in Italy & sold all over the world that also is called Parma Ham
Aged for at least 400 days
if purchasing pre-sliced in packages, look for the large black triangle with the gold Parma Crown in the upper left corner of the package
Wine: sparking wine or fruity red and white wines pair best because they work well with the slightly salty and sweet flavour of the ham
GRANA PADANO
Italy’s most popular grating cheese. “Grana” actually means hard grating cheese and “Padano” refers to the region in Northern Italy where the cheese must be produced
Made with partially skimmed raw cow’s milk from the production area
Like all authentic PDO-certified products, it’s made under strict supervision using the same traditional methods used by monks who created this cheese over 1000 years ago
Has a finely grained texture and can be aged to over 24 months
Grana Padano should never be referred to as “Parmesan” or “Parmigiano Reggiano” as they are different cheese
With the foundation now firmly in place with the three key products for your charcuterie board, here comes now the fun part. Freestyle! Personalize your charcuterie board by showcasing your other favourite ingredients you like to snack on. From exotic fruits to whole grain crackers and fruity jams the world is your oyster. With my charcuterie board here you’re going to find some of my personal favourite items like mango, red grapes, olives, artisanal crisps, orange marmalade, cherry tomatoes, and strawberry jams.
Not only can you easily create a charcuterie board like we did here, these products are also so versatile to incorporate in your recipes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There are some great culinary ideas like the Prosciutto di San Daniele Fruit Sushi, Minestrone Soup with Grana Padano, or an Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwich with Prosciutto di Parma. For complete directions to these recipes among many others, make sure you visit the Icons of European Taste website for complete details. Even though I’m currently halfway around the world, I’m so happy I can now bring the quality, authenticity, and tradition of European taste into my home through these three PDO certified products!