If you love throwing subtle yet fancy get-togethers at your place, then you must own a charcuterie board. A charcuterie board is a block of wood found in rectangular and round shapes that allow you to serve snacks to your guests. Charcuterie boards typically serve snacks like cheese, crackers, and grapes.
You’ll find many charcuterie boards in the market, but if you can’t find the type you want, you can always build it yourself. However, the one thing you’ll have to be super careful about is using the right kind of wood, as that will determine your charcuterie board’s quality and longevity.
Do not worry if you’ve never made a charcuterie board before, as we’ve made a list of the best woods to build one.
Characteristics of a Proper Charcuterie Board
Understandably, you won’t know what to expect from a suitable piece of wood when building a charcuterie board. Fortunately, we’ve made a list of characteristics your charcuterie board should possess. This list will help you purchase the proper wood type before constructing your charcuterie board.
Solid Wood
This shouldn’t come as a shock that you’ll need a highly sturdy piece of wood to build the finest charcuterie board. If the wood isn’t solid enough, your board might break apart anytime. Also, you’ll be doing plenty of cutting on the board, so the wood must be strong enough to bear the cuts.
Porosity
Porosity is the extent of a piece of wood’s void space. Meaning, how many gaps (pores) does the wood contain. If a piece of wood, such as ash and oak, is too porous, bacteria and insects can quickly enter them, eating away at your charcuterie board. Hence, you’ll have to pick wood that doesn’t have extensive porosity.
Cleanability
Many people ignore this aspect, but your charcuterie board must be cleanable easily. Some wood pieces aren’t too forgiving, so it becomes a nuisance to clean them. They absorb stains, such as meat juices, making them inconvenient to wash and clean. So, it would help if you built your charcuterie board from wood that’s easily cleaned.
The 6 Best Woods for Charcuterie Boards
If you’re about to make your first-ever charcuterie board, you’ll need all the help you can find. The first thing you need to do is learn the best wood type to build your charcuterie board. After reading this list of the best wood types, you’ll hopefully be better positioned to start making your charcuterie board.
So, without further ado, let’s get on with the list of the best woods for a charcuterie board.
Maple
Maple charcuterie boards have a minimalist design, so they’ll work perfectly for you if you’re going for a more subtle theme. Maple boards are very tough to crack, making them pretty durable.
Once you’ve constructed a maple board, you won’t have to make another one for years to come (unless you want to), as it’ll last longer than you think. Making a charcuterie board from maple will require you to set aside some funds as it’ll be costly.
Walnut
A charcuterie board made from walnut wood will benefit you for years to come due to its excellent quality and durability. Walnut is a pretty easy wood to work with, especially for beginners. So, if you’re new to the DIY category, working with walnut will show you a good time.
Walnut is a beautiful piece of wood that will make your charcuterie board look timeless. Most people choose walnut as their wood base for precisely this reason. Hence, walnut wood will be a good idea for building your first-ever charcuterie board.
Olive Wood
Constructing a charcuterie board from olive wood will serve you well if you want an even classier charcuterie board. You’ll find an insane number of grains on olive wood, and it looks so aesthetic.
Olive wood charcuterie boards are highly stain-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about meat or cheese stains. The best part about olive wood is that it has anti-bacterial and antimicrobial properties, adding more to why you should get it.
Bamboo
Another piece of wood that will benefit you in making a charcuterie board is bamboo wood. It’s a relatively lighter piece of wood that has excellent finishing properties. Bamboo wood is highly accepting of different weather changes.
So, if you mainly serve your bamboo charcuterie board outdoors, the rain or humidity won’t affect it. This makes your bamboo board pretty durable and long-lasting. Overall, it has a simple design with minimal prints. If something like that works for you, using this wood will be suitable.
Acacia
If aesthetics plays a significant role when designing a charcuterie board, you need to use acacia wood to make it. Acacia wood has plenty of grains, contributing to its stunning appeal. It offers excellent finishing properties, making it one of the best woods to build wooden items such as a charcuterie board.
Also, acacia wood is a substantial piece of wood that can hold your charcuterie board together. So, you don’t have to worry about putting too many food items on it. Its durability is one of the most significant reasons behind its popularity.
Cherry
If you’ve decided to work with cherrywood, you should it comes in different types. Rustic cherry, red cherry, and American cherry are a few of them. These types have their own distinguishing features, mainly varying in color tones and grain patterns.
Overall, cherrywood is a pretty sturdy piece of wood, allowing your charcuterie board to stay intact for years to come. It may be a little more expensive than other woods, but you’ll be delighted to see the final result, and the price won’t matter.
Our Final Thoughts
Charcuterie boards are fancy and rustic platters that allow you to throw the perfect, casual, and outdoorsy party. So, if you and your friends are used to such parties, it would help if you had a super-strong charcuterie board at home. You can always build one from scratch using any of the woods mentioned above. Give them a shot, and have a beautiful-looking charcuterie board.
