The following applies to the whole of Italy, not just Tuscany.
If you want to order a charcuterie board—a selection of cured meats and cheeses—in a restaurant, look for something called tagliere on the menu. The full name is usually either tagliere di salumi (cured meats) or tagliere di salumi e formaggi (cured meats and cheese). To add to the confusion, cheese may also be served in the former. More sophisticated versions include jam, honey and marmalade. A charcuterie board is usually for two people, so I recommend asking the waiter about the portion size—il tagliere è per una o due persone? will do.
Here’s the thing. A tagliere is like a box of chocolates; when you order it, you never know what you’re going to get. I like to think of charcuterie boards as a measure of a restaurant’s professionalism: if they can’t do the most basic thing, which is to source quality delicacies and cut them up to order, then they really don’t give a damn about their customers.
Of course, restaurants aren’t the only place to find cheese and cured meats. There are two main options. The first is to go to a well-rated rural farm-to-table guesthouses (agriturismo), where the products are sourced locally or produced in-house. I recommend making a reservation weeks or even months in advance. Highly rated agritourisms are often booked solid for the next few weeks. The second option is to go to a shop, be it a grocery store, a salami shop (salumeria) or a cheese shop (formaggeria/bottega del formaggio).
I'd be very interested to hear about the charcuterie boards in your country.
It sounds delicious! I’m a big fan of cured meats! Although I’ve never tried them with jam or marmalade, I have had them with fresh melon or figs. They pair really well together.
In Italy, ham and melon (prosciutto crudo e melone) is usually a starter in its own right. Jam, honey and marmalade are eaten with cheese, not cured meats. Anyway, thanks for reading!
In Japan, the combination of ham and melon is quite popular, and we can eat it even at Japanese restaurants or French restaurants. It's not always a starter here. I think we blend Italian culture into ours. Cheese is getting more popular, but I've never heard cheese with jam or marmalade here. Thank you for educating me.
No, no, thanks to you for interacting with and contributing to the series.
You should try cheese with jam or honey. It's a match made in heaven.
Thank you! I will!!