Category Archives: Other

Everyone knows about prosciutto and Calabrese salami. Here are ten meats and cheeses that you probably won’t find at your typical grocery store or deli.

1. Brocciu

A Corsican sheep/goat cheese made from whey. It is a fresh cheese and can be eaten immediately, or can be ripened 14 to 30 days. It has a milky, sweet flavour, and pairs well with Beaujolais or Corsican red wine.

2. Prizuttu

Corsican cured ham. David McAninch of Saveur describes it as “gossamer ribbons of dry-cured ham called prizuttu, generously marbled and dark ruby red, made from Corsican pigs fattened on the chestnuts that grow abundantly on the island.”

3. Jamon iberico

Spanish cured ham. Made from the black Iberian pig, this cured meat comes in 3 different qualities, the best of which involves the pigs roaming oak forests and eating only acorns for the last period of their lives. As a result, jamon iberico is among the most expensive cured meat money can buy.

4. Butifarra

Catalan sausage that comes raw or cooked. There are two types of cooked butifarra: white, and black, which contains pork blood and sometimes includes pine nuts and/or raisins.

5. La chang

Southern-style Chinese sausages. They are usually made of pork, have a high fat content, and are pleasantly sweet and savoury. They are often seasoned with rose water, rice wine, and soy sauce. You can often find them in various dim sum dishes.

6. Lop yuk

Chinese dried bacon. Generally made with pork belly (rarely, made with pork shoulder), the meat is sliced, seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, spices, and rose wine or Chinese cooking wine, and dried.

7. Kokos

Coconut cheese. Made with fresh, pasteurized cow’s milk and organic coconut cream. It has a nutty taste and mild sweetness, and pairs well with fruit or crisp crackers and white wine.

8. Parenica

Slovak smoked cheese. This sheep’s milk cheese is traditionally made in the mountainous region of Podpol’anie in central Slovakia. The cheese is steamed, formed into a spiral, then dried and smoked. It is eaten fresh, usually with boiled potatoes, or used in dishes like halusky.

9. Datse

Bhutanese fresh cheese. Traditionally home-made from or cow’s or yak’s milk curds. The cheese is used to make ema datse, Bhutan’s national dish, which consists of chilies, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and garlic.

10. Red Windsor

Pink and white marbled English cheddar. Made with cow’s milk and Bordeaux or a mix of port wine and brandy. This cheese is fruity and creamy as semi-hard cheddar. Pairs excellently with port, grapes, and green salad.

How many of these did you already know about? What did we miss? Feel free to leave a comment!

Happy eating,

Team Charcuterieboards.com

Pictures are property of their respective owners.

Good quality cutting boards and charcuterie boards are kitchen essentials. Like good knives, or a sturdy cast iron pan, your wooden boards are investments that require proper care and maintenance. In this blog post, we’ll teach you all about the tools and practices you’ll need to keep your charcuterie or cutting board in top shape.

What You’ll Need

• Soap
• Lint-free cloth
• Food-grade oil that will not go rancid* – we recommend our butcher block oil
• Optional – food-grade wax finish, such as our butcher block wax. If you prefer a “natural” alternative, beeswax based products like Clapham’s Salad Bowl Finish are great and smell wonderful!

Before you apply any oils or waxes to your board, make sure it’s clean. Wash it with soap and water and allow to air dry or wipe dry.

Using a soft, lint-free cloth (e.g. a microfiber towel, an old tshirt), dip into the oil and apply or pour a small amount onto the surface and buff the oil into the wood. Continue to apply and buff in until the wood is no longer absorbing the product. Wipe off excess.

If you would like, you can also finish the wood with a wax product for added protection. There are also mixed oil-wax products, like our specialty butcher block wax, that streamlines the two steps. Apply the wax in a similar fashion, wipe off excess, and allow the board to dry.

* There’s a huge debate about whether certain kinds of oils are appropriate for seasoning your boards. Different people have different preferences, but some of the options people go for include walnut oil, hemp oil, tung oil, flaxseed oil, and food grade mineral oil. Our recommendation is to go for food grade (USP) mineral oil because it is safe if ingested in small quantities (FYI, USP mineral oil is sold as a laxative in pharmacies) and will not go rancid. With plant-based oils, rancidity is always a concern, especially for olive oils and vegetable oils.

Some people argue that walnut oil does not go rancid – there is contested information (and we recommend you go out and do the research) on the topic. Based on what we’ve found, walnut oil has relatively low rancidity, but is also more expensive than USP mineral oil and may cause issues for people with nut allergies.

 In summary:

 Do

– Oil your charcuterie board frequently, ideally after each wash/use

– Store whatever oil or wax finishing products in cool, dark places

Do Not

– Use abrasive materials on the board (e.g. scrubbing with steel wool)

– Place your wooden board in direct sunlight or over direct heat

– Use olive oil or vegetable oils to season your board, as these will go rancid

That’s it! As long as you are maintaining your charcuterie or cutting board regularly, it should last for years.
Happy serving!

Love from Team Charcuterieboards.com

Now that the holidays are approaching quickly, some of you may be looking for interesting hosting and serving ideas. If you’ve never heard of charcuterie boards before, or if you have but have never assembled one yourself, or just want to see if you can get new ideas for yours, read on for some helpful hints on how to make yours a hit.

A charcuterie board consists of a selection of cured meats and accompaniments. The beautiful thing about them (other than how delicious and fun they are to eat) is that it can be as simple or as smörgåsbord-like as you want. Have an idea first of how many people you’re feeding, as well as what your budget is. It’s not impossible to create a great charcuterie platter on a budget – there are plenty of ways to get creative.

Decide if you want to focus just on charcuterie, or if you want some cheeses as well. These will be the stars of the show that you build your platter around. The most important thing to keep in mind in creating a great board is to have variety and balance, not just in taste and texture, but colour and shape as well. Try to have a range of savoury, sweet, tart, and spicy offerings. Balance out the strong flavours of the meats with soft cheeses, sweet fruit, and crunchy bread or nuts. Have something light and refreshing like pickles, fresh grapes or fresh pear to cleanse the palate between bites.

By no means is this an exhaustive, but here’s a list of some things you may decide to include on your charcuterie board:

• salami, prosciutto, chorizo, bresaola, coppa

• chèvre, fior di latte, shropshire blue, smoked cheddar

• pâtés, terrines

• cornichons, pickles, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, olives

• dried apricots, dried cherries, dried figs

• fresh pear, apple, figs, melon, grapes

• almonds, walnuts, pistachios

• red pepper jelly, mango chutney, honey, mustard

• crostini, crackers, bread sticks

If you’re looking for more advice or inspiration on how to put together a great charcuterie board, check out this video by Beth le Manach from Entertaining with Beth. She puts together a beautiful, simple board (on one of our products!) in almost no time at all.

Remember, your charcuterie board doesn’t have to be super advanced, fancy, or expensive. That being said, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to make yours as interesting and weird as you can, then more power to you! The possibilities are endless. Happy eating!