Jarcuterie Is The Cute New Trend Putting Cheese Boards To Shame

Not to flex, but my cheese board game has gone from 0 to 100 over the past 12 months. The Italian in me was already a charcuterie fan, so tapping into my creative side to trick out my grazing boards just made prepping appetizers all the more fun. That said, I’m all about doing whatever we can to prevent the spread of germs right now, so I get why a bunch of hands touching the same spread may turn some people off. Ladies and gentlemen, meet jarcuterie, the answer to all our cheese board woes.

If your head is already spinning, let me make the concept that much easier to grasp—jarcuterie is, quite literally, charcuterie in a jar. You take a baby wheel of brie, a skewer of meat, other cheeses, fruits and nuts and artfully place them in a sweet little jar for one. This way, everyone can enjoy the full taste experience of a cheese board without having to graze over others’ sloppy seconds.

I don’t know the true origin of jarcuterie, but many have used it to decrease the spread of germs while still feeding guests during pandemic social events (Which, why are we having any in the first place, but I digress). That said, the trend has already spread to Instagram’s best foodies, and I could scroll through the hashtag for hours. Some of my favorite jarcuterie moments come from Sarah Juenemann, who creates custom grazing boards under the Instagram handle @grazingkc.

Courtesy of @grazingkc/Instagram.

Another great thing about jarcuterie? You can customize your jars according to each person’s preferences. If you have a friend who hates cheddar and loves manchego, you can fill their jar with just the cheese they choose. If your sister doesn’t eat meat, swap her salami skewer for a bread stick or veggie skewer instead. Jarcuterie is totally customizable—and you can even get festive with it. Caitlin Browne and Corinne Bickford—owners of Charcu in The Lou LLC and operators of Instagram handle @charcu_inthelou—have recently posted jarcutierie iterations for Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day, and I’m fully obsessed with both.

Courtesy of @charcu_inthelou/Instagram.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a lover of a massive charcuterie spread, but until it’s safe to graze cheese boards safely, I’ll be swapping mine for these adorable jarcuterie alternatives instead. Who knows, maybe it’ll even help me not get carried away and eat my weight in cheese! If you want to DIY your own jarcuterie at home, all it takes is your fave cheese board ingredients, these mini mason jars and a little artful styling. Here’s hoping your results are jarringly good!

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.