The cold cuts board is the core of the traditional Aperitivo Italiano.
Tagliere plays a big part in the Italian social life
Spring is just behind the corner, and the cold we had this past winter is a memory. We spent so much time in the past months at home, waiting for better moments to come. Here you go: the best season of the year is ready to start. In this blog, we want to address a typical Italian tradition. It can change a bit from north to south, but it is something that almost every Italian loves: il Tagliere, a simple cold cuts board.A difference between Italians and Americans is that Americans go out with friends for dinner or just drinks when they go out with friends. Italians go out for dinner of course, but sometimes when they don't want to go to a restaurant for the all meal, they can meet for an aperitif, that traditionally isn't just-drinks. It's rare that we just drink without eating something. Tagliere is the perfect dish with an Aperol spritz or a glass of wine.
Prosciutto, Mortadella, Capocollo…
Tagliere originally can be served as finger food during the Aperitivo Italiano or as a decadent appetizer during lunch or dinner. Everyone can make his own Tagliere, think about the fact that we have more than 500 varieties of salumi. If we talk about Tagliere Misto, you will have a board filled with regional meats and/or cheeses. Let's try to make one together. To have a tasty Tagliere at home, when family and friends come over, it's always an excellent idea.
We can make a basic one. What you need is good bread or grissini, some walnuts to spread around the plate, some olives, honey (for the cheese), and, of course, meat and cheeses.
About the meats, you should have at least 4 or 5 cuts. If you will slice the piece at home, try to make the slices thin. The most common are: mortadella (you can choose with or without pistacchio); prosciutto crudo (usually the best one is Prosciutto di Parma aged at least 24 months), salami, capocollo and culatello (this cut of the pork is very popular in Emilia Romagna, which is the best region ever when we talk about prosciutto and Parmigiano). The slices have to be fresh and of high quality. If you visit our Magnifico food website, you can choose among some of the best cold cuts and cheeses. For example, you can find Capocollo from Levoni company. The capocollo is a typical cured deli meat of Campania, Puglia and Calabria. It consists of a single cut of whole meat – the pig neck - salted and flavored with spices and paprika. If you are a salami lover, we have some of the best Italian salami for you, in different flavors, spicy or fennel.
And the cheeses now: Parmesan, Asiago, Pecorino!
When you choose the cheese, you put the same focus. The most famous is Parmigiano cheese, of course. You can find a really good deal for quality and price on our website: Parmigiano Reggiano from Ambrosi. It is aged 24 months, and it has a herbal fragrance. The second type of cheese: provolone and smoked scamorza. Easy to find on our website, you will have your grocery at home in a few days. Both the provolone and the scamorza are made from Levoni company. Another good one, if you live with strong flavors, is the Pecorino romano: which is salty with lots of flavor. Another recommendation is the Asiago cheese; this one, too, is from Levoni. Asiago is one of the most famous Italian cheeses from the north of Italy. This gluten-free cheese by Ambrosi is a pleasant semi-soft cheese with a light straw color and a mild, delicate, milky flavor. Dear friends, Enjoy!
