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Technically, a charcuterie board is an appetizer that contains multiple types of meats and is eaten directly from the board. It depends on which types of meat you want on it and how many cheeses there will be. However, you must decorate it well to make it appetizing enough, as most ingredients are placed abstractly.
Why do people use flowers on their charcuterie boards, and why do you need to avoid them?
One of the easiest solutions for decorating the charcuterie board is placing flowers. Imagine the whole board is filled with red meat and white cheese crackers. Placing a flower of a different color may add vibrance and make the whole board much more attractive.
However, along with that attractiveness, it brings several problems, including changing the taste and smell of meat because of flower aroma, a bad taste of flowers that are not edible, and poisoning if the flower is poisonous. Thus, a flower that may make the charcuterie board a little bit aesthetically pleasing will also ruin its eating experience.
How to make your charcuterie boards more attractive without placing real flowers.
You don’t necessarily need to put flowers on a charcuterie board to make it attractive when alternate methods work even better. Here are the top options to make your charcuterie board more attractive without using real flowers.
1. Use your aromatics to your advantage.
The aromatics you use for food flavoring, and aromatic effects are amazing when placed on the charcuterie board. It is because these are not poisonous, and they make the flavor better instead of worsening it. On top of that, these are blush green, making it very easy to add vibrance to the charcuterie board.
So, select your aromatics carefully, and you can place individual leaves or put the whole strand in one go. There are no limitations on which ones you can use, but the most common ones that work with all meat choices include the following:
- Mint leaves
- Coriander leaves
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Lemon wedges
2. Get some edible flowers to decorate your charcuterie board.
If you don't want to go without flowers, then go for flowers marked as edible instead of picking any flower and placing it on the charcuterie board. When you are in the supermarket, you will find multiple options of safe flowers for eating, and you can get those in multiple colors.
The best one includes violet because it is a unique color; it pops out easily on the charcuterie board, making the whole thing much more attractive. An amazing feature of these flowers is that they have active substances like minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that can be very healthy when consumed. All these goodies also bring a sweet smell to your charcuterie board.
3. Make meat flowers using different types of meat.
You can make your own if you don't get any edible flowers. You need some thinly sliced meat to make edible flowers. While any form of meat works well, salami is a good choice for its perfect thickness and size. Making these flowers is also very simple. As you need a glass of your choice, simply place salami on the rim and fold it on both sides.
Start from one side and do the whole rim. Now carefully put the glass upside down, and you will have a perfect meat flower ready to go on the charcuterie board. If that flower seems a little boring, you can use salami slices with cheese slices cut to the same size. Remember that these are not only for decoration, as these can be eaten right away.
4. Make cheese flowers for decoration and eating.
Just like the meat flowers, you can make cheese flowers with cheese slices and cubes. Carving out flowers from cubes can be tricky, so it is best to use the glass method with cheese slices only to make your flower. It is better to get different types of cheese slices because, with alternating colors, your charcuterie board will turn out to be more attractive.
When working with cheese, you need to be careful about the temperature, as the flower may not hold up very well in warm conditions. So, you may refrigerate it before serving. Just like meat flowers, these can also be eaten in any desired way.
5. Use your creativity with fruits and vegetables.
A good charcuterie board is incomplete without fruits and vegetables, from apples and oranges to cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes. You can put anything on your charcuterie board, and the best part about these specific ingredients is that they can be carved out in multiple shapes. You can create flowers with a whole apple, cucumber, carrot, and tomato.
If you have enough time, you can cut individual petals from these and combine them in different layers to create a more custom and attractive flower, unlike anything else. Working with whole oranges can be difficult, but you can use them in small pieces to add vibrance and a tangy taste in small bites.
6. You can make tiny flowers with grapes or green olives and decorate bites with them.
The beauty of a charcuterie board is that anyone can eat anything directly from it with no preparation necessary. That's why most meats present on it are bite-size. However, eating most meat types all by itself is not the best experience. That's why people use pickles with them.
So, if you are using things like olives, pickled cucumbers, or grapes, cut these into tiny flower shapes and attach them to meat bites with toothpicks. It will be easier to eat, tastier, and more attractive.
Final Verdict
A huge part of the experience of a charcuterie board comes from how it looks. If it is not attractive enough, you may not even get it finished, but there are certain things that you cannot do, like placing flowers just to make your charcuterie board attractive. So, a better solution for you is to use the options discussed above for a safer and richer experience.
Image by Mantaz Uddin from Pixabay
