How to Make a Mediterranean Charcuterie Board

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Elevate your entertaining game with the ultimate Mediterranean charcuterie board. It's great for Christmas parties, celebrations or even small gatherings! And with our easy step-by-step guide even beginners will look like platter pros. Plus, some ideas for small boards for two or four persons.

Mediterranean charcuterie board with several cured meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, pita chips and crackers.

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😍 Why I love this recipe
📋 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
💡Platter ideas for 2 or 4 persons
👨‍🍳 Expert Tips
🎥Recipe Video
📖 Recipe

There's something very festive about a charcuterie board, and that's probably why I make it every Christmas or for New Year's Eve. Once you build your own and see how easy it is, you'll do it every time you host a party.

Charcuterie basically means cooked meat, so this Mediterranean charcuterie board is heavier on the cured meat. For another crowd pleasing platter with more cheese, you can check my how to make a cheese board in 5 easy steps article which has plenty of ideas and suggestions for big and small cheese boards. And, there's also this Greek meze platter (appetizers spread) which is completely vegetarian, with no meat at all, but equally delicious!

😍 Why I love this recipe

Here are some reasons why I love this Mediterranean charcuterie board:

✓ Show stopper: If you want to make something to impress your guests, this is the way. And prepare yourself to hear a lot of wow's!

✓ Crowd pleasing: No one has ever been able to pass by this charcuterie platter and not stop and grab something to bite.

✓ Easy: You don't need to think about it too much! Just follow the simple step by step instructions which are especially useful for beginners.

📋 Ingredients

This is the cured meat I used for this Mediterranean charcuterie board:

Since this is a Mediterranean charcuterie plate, most of the Ingredients are well known Italian types of cured meat such as Prosciutto, Salami, Mortadella and Bresaola. A spicy Spanish chorizo sausage would also be nice. For people who prefer lighter flavors, turkey or chicken ham is ideal.

And this is the cheese!

As for the cheese, each time I try to add 1-2 hard and semi-firm cheeses, 1 soft or creamy and 1 funky.

Cheddar, Graviera (or Gruyere) and mozzarella are cheeses loved by almost everyone. Other safe choices would be brie, Gouda, an Italian Parmesan, a Greek feta cheese, a Spanish Manchego or a French goat cheese. For a bit of funkiness, I added a whole piece of Danish blue cheese, but Italian Gorgonzola will also do.

I also used grapes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks, green olives (Kalamata olives are also great), walnuts, pomegranate pieces, apples, prunes, a small bowl with blueberry jam, crackers and pita chips.

Other things that can be used are:

Other nuts (almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia, Brazil nuts).
Seasonal fresh fruit (melon, pear, strawberries, raspberries, peach).
Seasonal fresh vegetables (carrot sticks, peppers, broccoli, celery)
Dips in small bowls such as creamy homemade hummus, pickles, French mustard, honey and labneh (yogurt cheese) mixed with fresh herbs and some oregano or thyme.
Dried fruit (dried apricots, raisins, dried figs).
Other bread: Baguette slices, homemade pita bread, bread sticks with a small bowl of olive oil somewhere close to them. If you love baking, this carob and whole wheat bread with walnuts will enthuse your guests!

🔪 Instructions

Follow this easy step-by-step guide for how to build a charcuterie board:

Step 1: Choose a board/platter. For the classic presentation, opt for something made of wood. Otherwise, anything with a flat surface will do, from a porcelain platter to shallow serving dish.

Charcuterie board with the different cured meat types added.

Step 2: Add the meat. Arrange the different types throughout the wooden board in even distances.

Step 3: Add the cheese among the meat. Pair milder cheeses with more delicate meats, and stronger cheeses with bold, flavorful charcuterie. For example, a creamy Brie will complement a subtle prosciutto, while a robust blue cheese can stand up to a spicy chorizo.

Charcuterie board with added fruit, vegetables and sauces.

Step 4: Add the fruit, the vegetables and the sauces. Again, try to position ingredients that pair well together, the one next to the other. For example, place some tomatoes next to the mozzarella, and a sweet jam next to the blue cheese.

Finished charcuterie board with added crackers.

Step 5: Fill the remaining gaps of the board with crackers, nuts and bread. If it seems that there is no space left, make some room with your hands.

And these are the 5 steps in one photo:

Collage of steps for how to build a charcuterie board.

Some classic charcuterie pairings:

Prosciutto + Parmigiano Reggiano or fresh mozzarella
Mortadella + Gruyere, Provolone or Emmental
Salami + Feta or Gouda
Bresaola + bread, Parmesan, arugula
Blue cheese + honey or jam and walnuts

You can read more in the article Charcuterie Pairings by BlueCart blog.

💡Platter ideas for 2 or 4 persons

Here are two suggestions for small charcuterie boards.

A small charcuterie board for 2 persons and a small charcuterie board for four persons.

When I'm making a charcuterie tray for 2, I will most often use 2 or 3 types of meat (about 3 pieces of each meat), one cheese and I will fill the gaps with whatever fruit and vegetable have at the moment.

For a charcuterie platter for 4 persons, you can double the previous amounts. Just make sure that each ingredient is in 4 servings or more, so that each person can have a taste of everything.

👨‍🍳 Expert Tips

For a stunning DIY charcuterie platter variation is the key. Try to incorporate different shapes, colors, textures, flavors:

Shape: Make small bouquets or ruffles with the prosciutto and Bresaola, make rolls with the ham or Mortadella and make "flowers" with the salami. Leave the soft cheeses whole and slice the hard cheeses in triangles, rectangles, or sticks.
Color: Choose ingredients with different shades and colors, and add green notes with fresh arugula, cucumber sticks and other vegetables.
Texture: Use juicy fruit, crunchy vegetables, crispy crackers and breadsticks, jammy compotes and creamy spreads. Semi-firm, hard and creamy cheeses, cured and cooked charcuterie.
Flavor: Have some ingredients with mild flavor that everyone loves, some with bold flavor and some with funky flavor.

Keep in mind that often, foods from the same region pair well together. For example Spanish chorizo with Manchego and Italian Prosciutto with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Make ahead: If the board fits inside your refrigerator, you can make it a few hours ahead, but don't add the crackers and any other kind of bread, because it can attract moisture. Wrap the platter well with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature and add the crackers just before serving.

Have some extra ingredients in the fridge in case you need to refill the board.

A Mediterranean charcuterie board with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.

💭 FAQs

Why is it called a charcuterie board?

The term charcuterie (pronounced “shahr-kyu-tuh-ree”) comes from two French words: “chair” which means “flesh,” and “cuit” which means “cooked”. So, a charcuterie board is any kind of board/platter with a spread of cured or cooked meat on it. Usually it's served with a glass of wine.

How much meat do you need for a charcuterie platter?

As a general guideline, you can estimate around 3 to 4 ounces (85 to 113 grams) of total charcuterie per person.

What wine should I serve with charcuterie board during a party?

There isn't a general rule as to what wine you should pair a charcuterie board. Usually, cured meats go well with red wine, but some bold oaky wines can also pair well. And don't forget the sparkling wines than can cut through the richness of fatty meats and cheeses.
Visit this useful guide for pairing wine with charcuterie board by smallwinemakers for more information.