Charcuterie Platter

The perfect charcuterie platter

A charcuterie platter adds pizzazz to parties, cachet to soirées, and gusto to game-day-get-togethers. With a luscious spread of meat, cheese, bread, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and dips, a charcuterie platter is a treat for the eyes and the tastebuds.

But what makes a charcuterie platter perfect? Without a doubt, it's the cheese. Until the cheese arrives, the other charcuterie ingredients are merely players waiting for the star of the platter to get things going.

Here in Wisconsin, we know the best charcuterie boards are built with cheese made by our 1200 cheesemakers. Whether it's a world-class parmesan, an award-winning gouda, or a where-has-this-cheese-been-all-my-life gorgonzola, Wisconsin cheese elevates every charcuterie tray to perfection.

Take a spin through our website to meet some of our most famous cheeses. Search our recipe index to find great cheese and charcuterie combinations. Or scroll down for our tips on great ingredients for your next charcuterie cheese board.

What to place on a charcuterie platter

When planning a charcuterie platter, we always start with the cheese, naturally. Select 4 to 6 cheeses that offer a nice variety of taste and texture. Our favorites include:

  • Soft cheeses: mozzarella, burrata, feta, brie, mascarpone, stracchino
  • Semi-soft cheeses: havarti, brick, fontina, Monterey Jack, muenster
  • Semi-firm cheeses: gouda, provolone, gruyere, Colby
  • Hard cheeses: aged cheddar, parmesan, pecorino, manchego, asiago, romano
  • Blue cheese: gorgonzola, cheddar blue, marbled blue jack or a cave cheese like roquefort
  • Fresh cheese: cream cheese, queso fresco

For charcuterie:

  • Cured sausages: salami, pepperoni, speck, capicola, soppressata, chorizo, saucisson sec
  • Whole-muscle cuts: prosciutto, bresaola, coppa, Jamón Ibérico, Jamón Serrano
  • Forcemeats: chicken liver mousse, duck rilletes, paté, terrines

For additional texture and flavor accents:

  • Bread: toasted crostini, hearty crackers, baguette slices
  • Nuts: pistachios, candied pecans, marcona almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pine nuts
  • Fruit: olives, berries, grapes, dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes, slices of apples and pears, figs, dates
  • Vegetables: pickles, artichokes, sweet cherry-red peppers
  • Dips, spreads, jams: honey, mustard, hummus, artichoke dip, fig preserves, olive tapenade

Videos: Discover Your Next Favorite Cheese

FAQs: What is a charcuterie platter?

What is a charcuterie platter?

A charcuterie platter is an assortment of meats that typically includes cheeses, breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spreads as well.

How do you pronounce charcuterie?

Charcuterie is a French word. In English, it's typically pronounced "shahr-KOO-tuh-ree" or "shahr-koo-tuh-REE."

What should a charcuterie platter be served on?

A large wooden cutting board, a slate or chalk board, or a marble slab all make a great surface for a charcuterie platter.

You say charcuterie. We say cheese platter.

Call it whatever you like: a charcuterie platter, a charcuterie and cheese spread, a wine and cheese board. In Wisconsin, we call it one more way to enjoy the best cheese in the world.

Hearing that, lots of folks tilt their head, squint their eyes a little, and ask "Really? The best cheese in all the world?" To which we reply "Um, yeah, pretty sure." (We need to work on our boasting skills a little.) Our cheeses have won more than 5,552 cheese awards, more than any other state or nation in the world. Our cheesemakers have been perfecting Old World recipes for 180 years and inventing plenty of new cheeses along the way. Today, we make more than 600 varieties, flavors, and styles of cheese – and nearly half of all the artisan cheese in America.

So, next time you're building a charcuterie platter, remember these two things: cheese is the best part of any charcuterie platter, and Wisconsin cheesemakers are the best at making any kind of cheese.

Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?

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