Italian Charcuterie Board

Tis' the season for parties, appetizers and delicious bites! I have had this Italian themed charcuterie board in my head for a while and couldn't wait to create a colorful charcuterie board with delicious Italian antipasti.

All of the items on this Italian meat and cheese board are from Italy, including Italian cheeses, Italian meats and accouterment to pair with all the bites. Serve this Italian charcuterie board alongside antipasto skewers for an impressive appetizer spread!

If you're looking for a smaller charcuterie board, check out my simple charcuterie board that is perfect for a few people! And for some Mediterranean bites, check out my Mediterranean mezze board which is always a crowd favorite!

Large Italian charcuterie board with meats and cheeses.

Ingredients

When looking for items for your Italian meat and cheese board, think about having different textures and flavors. Have some harder aged cheeses, such as Parmigiano Reggiano and some softer cheeses, such as mozzarella or burrata.

More about the different styles of cheeses below.

Italian Cheeses

Parmigano Reggiano: Also called Parmesan, this is a firm, aged cows milk cheese that is often grated added on top of pasta. For a cheese board, cut the Parmigiano into rustic chunks to snack on and pair with some aged Italian balsamic. Buy a chunk of Parmigiano reggiano with the rind and once the rind is left over, add it to sauces or Sunday gravy, soups and stews. The rind will slowly disintegrate in whatever you're simmering, giving great flavor.

Burrata: One of my favorite cheeses, burrata is a ball of mozzarella with a soft, creamy cheese inside, called stracciatella. When you roughly tear open the ball of burrata, the creamy cheese oozes out and it's so delicious! We usually serve burrata with roasted tomatoes and for this cheese board, burrata us served with pesto and Calabrian chiles.

Fontina: Another favorite, Fontina is a creamy, slightly sweet and pungent cheese that is idea for melting. Looking to make the best mac and cheese or cheese calzone of your life? Add fontina.

Gorgonzola: Creamy and slightly sweet, gorgonzola is one of my favorite blue cheeses. I opt to buy gorgonzola dolce in a wedge and not crumbled, because I love the creaminess. Gorgonzola is fantastic paired with honeycomb.

Taleggio: A semi-soft wash rind cheese with a dense, creamy center. The flavor is mild and buttery yet the aroma is stronger. Don't eat the rind, though, it's technically edible, it won't taste good. Let tallegio sit out for at least 30 minutes so the cheese softens and flavors wake up.

Italian Meats

Calabrese: This spicy salami has a bit of a kick to it, thanks to the chilies. If you love salami and love spice, look for calabrese.

Prosciutto: A dry cured Italian ham, prosciutto is often found with other meats and cheeses in grocery stores. You can eat prosciutto as is, or crisp it up and garnish roasted tomato soup.

Speck: If you like prosciutto, look for speck! Instead of cured, speck is smoked, giving a lovely smoky layer of flavor.

Accoutrement (Other Cheese Board Additions)

Fruit: Grapes and cherry tomatoes on the vine are on this board. Other suggestions would be fresh figs and clementines.

Olives: Castelveltrano olives are mind and buttery and garlic stuffed olives are more briny and savory.

Crostini: Slice a baguette on a bias and lightly toast the slices to make crostini.

Crackers

Honeycomb: Pair this with the gorgonzola.

Pesto: A simple basil pesto pairs well with the creamy burrata cheese.

Calabrian Chiles: These are small red chiles that come from Calabria. You can find them sold in jars whole, but I suggest buying them chopped. Calabrian chiles have a good heat punch to them and have great flavor! I like adding Calabrian chiles to chicken puttanesca for a bit more of a kick.

Artichoke Hearts: Season artichoke hearts with a touch of olive oil, oregano and roasted peppers.

Italian meat and cheese board with salami and Parmesan.

Assemble the Italian Cheese Board

Arrange the cheeses spaced around the board. Cut the firmer cheeses in rough chunks and slice the semi-soft cheeses, such a the fontina and taleggio.

Serve the honeycomb on top of the gorgonzola cheese.

Add the burrata cheese to small bowls and garnish with pesto and/or Calabrian chiles.

Arrange the calabrese salami and prosciutto or speck around the cheeses in the empty spaces.

Nestle bunches of grapes and tomatoes on the vine onto the platter.

Season the artichoke hearts with roasted bell peppers, oregano and olive oil and fill in any empty gaps. You can also serve this in a small bowl as well.

Fill any remaining gaps with olives, crostini and crackers.

FamilyCook says

June 25, 2023 at 2:16 pm

We did the dessert cheese board last weekend and last night we did this Italian Charcuterie Board. We found all of the ingredients Including Taleggio cheese which I had never heard of at Whole foods and Safeway. We had heard of Speck but never tried it, It was wonderful.

Italian Charcuterie Board