Cheeseboard: How To Serve Different Kinds Of Cheese

The design of the cheese board is appropriate for every table to turn an ordinary meal into a gourmet lunch or a festive dinner. Regardless of the taste and preferences of the guests, a good cheese paired with beer, champagne or wine will delight any company. At the same time, it is important to know the rules for selecting both the cheeses themselves and sausages, fruits, crackers or other accompaniment products, as well as the features of cutting, serving and other subtleties, which we will talk about later.

Traditional composition

The classic composition of a wood charcuterie board involves at least 5 (five) ingredients. Perhaps less, but true raw foodists can condemn this.

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French dishes, for example, are prepared with the following types of cheese:

  • fresh goat milk product;
  • solid – with a sharp or neutral taste;
  • soft, as a rule, “camembert”, sometimes – semi-soft, “brie” or another variety, but always from cow’s milk;
  • “Roquefort” or another option with mold.

In addition to 5, 7 or more types of cheese (“Parmesan”, “Gorgonzola”, “Pacherino”, etc.), the composition of Italian recipes necessarily includes tomatoes with mint, nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and grapes. In Slavic cuisine, hard (“Russian”, “Dutch”, etc.) are more often used, and in Caucasian pickled (“Chechil”, “Suluguni”, etc.) cheeses supplemented with cold cuts or smoked delicacies.

Slicing rules

Proper serving of a cheese board involves the use of a specific slicing technique for different varieties of a popular product. However, there are general recommendations. For example, you need to cut on various boards with special knives in order to preserve the specific smell and taste for each type.

Features of cutting cheeses depending on the variety:

  1. Round heads are cut into slices, while other products are cut into cubes.
  2. Hard foods, including parmesan, are cut with a wide knife into thin slices, then beautiful slices are made.
  3. Brie, like other soft delicacies, is cut into triangles using a string cheese cutter or a special perforated knife.
  4. Mozzarella is beautifully served in balls or rectangles.
  5. “Feta” is usually laid out in cubes, and “suluguni” – in round pieces.
  6. “Chechil” is well cut with a sharp knife after preheating.
  7. A beautiful decoration for the festive table for children is cutting out various figures.

Serving rules

Proper serving of a cheese board is no less important than competent cutting. Cooked delicacies should be laid out on a flat wide dish from the center to the edges or clockwise as hard as possible. They start with the youngest, softest or freshest varieties, which are located in the center. In the second option – from the place where the number “6” of the imaginary dial should be. The oldest and spiciest treats are at the end. Different varieties should not touch, otherwise the flavors will mix. The gaps are filled with fruit or other ingredients. The number of varieties of delicacies must necessarily be odd – 5, 7 or more.

Instead of glass or ceramic plates, solid delicacies are recommended to be served on wooden trays in the form of a circle. Soft varieties are laid out on glass or ceramic plates with thin legs. A good option for a festive table is a special plate for serving cheese with several compartments. It can be bought complete with a transparent cover.

In the restaurant, cheeses are served with special knives and utensils, taking into account specific types of delicacies. Take delicacies only with a fork and knife. The exception is “chechil” (it is eaten with the hands), as well as processed cheese, which is spread on buns.

Cheese board accompaniment

Accompanying cheese slices also requires compliance with certain rules. Traditionally soft, moldy treats are served with grapes and nuts. Hard cheeses are served with dates, raisins, avocados and dried apricots or with figs. An ideal addition to any soft cheese is a pear. A good combination is obtained when using jam or marmalade sauces. A good combination is a cheese board with honey and nuts.

Instead of fresh bread, English crackers can be offered.

Remember that different types of cheese pair with certain wines. For a goat delicacy, for example, Sauvignon is suitable, and Camembert is best washed down with a red drink. The basic rule when serving hard cheeses is that the more complex the taste, the richer the wine. Champagne is suitable for a treat with a creamy taste. Mature cheeses are recommended to be washed down with rich beers, and soft types are more delicate.

Dibyashree Sharma
Dibyashree Sharma
Dibyashree Sharma graduated in Computer Science from NIT Rourkela. For the past eight years, she has been blogging about Android, which she is really passionate about. She has built a good reputation as a reliable source. Away from the digital sphere, Dibyashree enjoys playing tennis, a sport she is as passionate about as she is about technology.

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