Over the years of blogging, we’ve covered a number of different styles of charcuterie/cheese boards, including many different variations of meats and cheeses. We’ve also talked a number of times about our love for olives – Olives from Spain, to be exact! But we’ve never done an entirely Spanish-inspired charcuterie spread, so today we thought it would be fun to share with you how to create a truly Spanish charcuterie spread using Olives from Spain!
For starters, let’s go over what is a charcuterie/cheese board. Originally, charcuterie actually stands for a wide spread of different kinds of meats only. But I think for the general public, when they hear people say charcuterie, it’s generally understood that it will contain various meats and cheeses. So for our purposes here, we will just identify it as a charcuterie board!
In addition to have having a variety of meats and cheeses, most charcuterie spreads will also contain various pickled items, jams and spreads, dried fruit and nuts and of course, various breads and crackers. One of the things I love most about creating these boards is that there really are no rules – just about anything that you can pick at with your hands or spread onto a piece of bread works!
But with that said, it’s fun to sometimes create very specific boards, especially when wanting to keep with a theme for entertaining or focus on a certain region to try out their different food offerings.
Because of our love for Olives from Spain, we thought it would be fun to dig deeper into Spanish food culture and discover some of the amazing cheeses and meats that they produce to create a totally regional, Spanish style board.
Before we break down what was on this board to help you recreate it at home, I do want to mention that some items were a little tricker to find than others. For the cheeses, I tried the grocery store, but found myself at a local cheese specialty store where they not only had tons of options, but the staff were super knowledgeable about the various varieties and I could sample them all before I bought. Another perk is that you get to decide how much of one cheese you want to buy, which is really ideal when creating smaller charcuterie boards. You don’t often need large quantities of one cheese or meat. It’s nice to have smaller amounts of differing varieties. So make sure to shop around in your area to find these items!
Spanish Charcuterie Board
Cheeses:
- Drunken Goat – a popular goat’s milk cheese that has been soaked in red wine with a tangy yet still mellow flavour
- Manchego Cheese – an aged cheese made from sheep’s milk with a firm, but buttery texture
- Queso Iberico – a mixed milk cheese consisting of goat, sheep and cows milk with a nutty yet fruity flavour
- Queso de Cabra al Romero – a semi-firm cheese with a creamy texture with a hint of rosemary
Meats:
- Chorizo – a cured, fermented and smoked pork sausage
- Serrano ham – one of the most popular Spanish hams that cures for years, giving it a melt-in-your-mouth taste
Olives/Nuts/Fruits:
- Olives from Spain – we’ve included all three varieties including Manzanilla, Hojiblanca and Gordal from Spain
- Marcona almonds – a sweet, gourmet nut that is popular in Europe that resembles a macadamia nut in texture
- Quince Paste – (not pictured) a thick jelly made of the pulp of the quince fruit
- Figs & Fig Jam
- Green & Red Grapes
- Dates
- Crusty breads
I love including all three varieties of Olives from Spain on this board as they are all so different in size and shape but I also find that they appeal differently to different tastes. The Gordal from Spain, which actually means “fat one” is known as the “beauty of Spain” and is actually one of the best known olives worldwide. It’s got a fleshy texture and a delicate yet salty flavour which makes it perfect to serve on it’s own or part of an appetizer. The Hojblanca from Spain, which is often a deep purple to black shade, is one of the most popular black table olives. It is unique in that it’s considered a dual-purpose olive, used for both olive oil and snacking. Finally, there’s the Manzanilla from Spain , otherwise known as “the little apple”, is one of the most popular snacking olives around. With its lack of bitterness and smooth texture, it’s incredibly versatile and can be combined with just about any ingredient out there!
And that is how you build a Spanish-style charcuterie board! I absolutely loved creating this regional board and learning more about the Spanish food culture. It even made for great conversation as I had my neighbour over to enjoy this spread with me and the kids. We got to talk through the various cheese and meat types as well as the various Olives from Spain, each of us picking our favourites! I love when food can be a source of not only conversation around a table as you gather together, but also education for your friends and family!
So next time you are entertaining, try this Spanish inspired charcuterie board! I bet your friends and family will be amazed!
Love & Blessings,
Christine
Note: This post was sponsored by Olives from Spain. As always, the thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.