Montague vs. Capulet: The Battle for Charcuterie Supremacy

           The Montagues are loud, tempestuous, fertile, brimming with life and humor.
            The Capulets imagine themselves to be the more refined family; that is to say, they are not nouveau riche. They’re almost-aristocratic nose-in-the air-riche.
            The Montagues are definitely nouveau; growers and vintners, makers of fine wines and wooed by all the best exporters and suppliers of all the city-states.
           My dear, the vendetta ended twenty years ago, or as the older kin call it, “The good old days.” Memories are long in fair Verona, although when I sensibly inquire what started the feud, no one quite remembers that. — Rosie on the famous feud in TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN, coming June 30, 2026 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Does that sound like any families you’re a member of? 😉 These feuding families will fight about anything, and since platters of meats, cheeses, vegetables and fruits would have been common fare in Fair Verona, and charcuterie boards are renown for being easy, the Montagues and the Capulets would have a smackdown about whose is the best. (My thoughts on that later.)

Large or small or individual, a charcuterie plate is one of those delightful party platters that can also be an intimate dinner for two (The Husband and me) or one (me.) I once read that in the interest of time, at a party it’s best to limit the types of food on a charcuterie platter to three: three meats, three cheeses, three vegetables/fruits. That prevents people from lingering with indecision.

Well, sure, but not the point. The point is variety, choice and flavor! Maybe instead use a long board for presentation so people can walk along and chat, or separate all the bits into a meat platter (“charcuterie” means meat) and a cheese platter, and decorate them both with colorful fruits and veggies.

I have a friend who is squeamish about having multiple people touching the foods, so she serves charcuterie skewers. To me, this defeats the “choice” part of the plate, but she makes a point, and that point is — for serving: provide small tongs, cheese knives, forks, napkins and toothpicks.

Here’s an extensive list of what you can put on your charcuterie plate/board/platter. Don’t include everything (unless you have a huge board and the desire!) Pick and choose, discover new things, enjoy the variety and the chance to eat a leisurely meal that takes two hours to enjoy while you read. Or stare into space and dream. None of us do enough of that.

Note: In the interest of convenience (yours,) I recommend possible suppliers. I’m not getting a commission, these are simply places I use and trust for quality. Feel free to use your own sources.

Selection of meats 

Bresaola (air-dried salted beef which I discovered in Italy ❤️)
Dried salamis (Journeymen Meats is our go-to; Italian all the way, lots of variety, crafted)
Hams, like prosciutto or Speck
Tiny cooked meatballs served at room temperature (On YouTube: See The Husband make Italian sausage)

Cheeses

Soft: Stracciatella, caprino fresco, barrata

Medium: Provolone, Fontina, Gorgonzola AND cheese curds (okay, not traditional, but tasty+easy to eat.) 

Hard: Parmesan, Asiago d’Allevo, Pecorino pepato <—worth seeking out 

Breads

Sour dough!
Breadsticks!
Crackers!
Cheese crackers like parmesan crisps, which are a great idea because no gluten! 
Hearty breads (wheat, rye, ancient grains) perhaps stuffed with dried fruits and nuts!
Extra special olive oils and balsamic vinegars for dip.

Fresh fruits and veggies

Radishes (multicolored or watermelon if you can find them)
Carrots
Broccoli/Cauliflower

Grapes
Oranges, peeled and sectioned or cut crosswise into slices for decoration
Berries
Melon cut into chunks and wrapped in proscuitto (The Husband’s favorite!)
Pomegranate seeds

Dried fruits

Apricots
Apples
Plums
Cranberries

Nuts —Shelled almonds, filberts, walnuts: salted, candied or glazed

Note: I get my nuts and dried fruits from Houston Pecan Company. I’ve used them for years.

Marinated or pickled vegetables and fruits

Olives
Cucumbers
Artichokes
Capers
Onions
Celery (seriously good!)

Decorative fresh, scented herbs (basil, rosemary, mint,) eatable flowers, pea tendrils

Honeys, marmalades, jams (fig!) mustards, roasted garlic, dips.

The Capulets would be the family to create roses with the salami and fans out of the proscuitto, pipe all the dips into an artful swirl, arrange the veggies and fruits according to the color wheel, and in general make the platter such a work of art they win Most Gorgeous Platter and everyone would be afraid to touch it, much less consume it.

The Montagues charcuterie board would be like the family: large, filled with bold flavors and shapes, an array of every good, fresh thing from the market and garden, and they would demolish the whole platter before they remembered they were supposed to enter it into the contest.

What wine should you consume with the charcuterie board?

A white, a red, a rose. You know what you like. With so many different flavors and textures on a charcuterie plate you created out of the parts and pieces that please you, add the wine that works with your palate. The individual charcuterie plate above was  the creation of Mauritson Wines to accompany a tasting. Mauritson has been one of our go-to wineries for years; you can’t go wrong with them.

Or…have a lovely mocktail or a glass of sparkling water. Whatever suits you best. That’s the fun of charcuterie. It can be anything!

---

Christmas videos to watch:

Harvesting the tree on YouTube (We cut our trees on our own land.)
Erecting the Christmas tree on YouTube

Other videos to watch:

Why The Husband and I support PBS, (On YouTube.)
Watch The Husband use a chainsaw to make tree pots.  (On YouTube.)