Charcuterie, pronounced shar-KOO-ter-ee, is from the 15th century French art of preparing cured meats. But today it’s so much more! Charcuterie trends today could be described as a party platter with no limits on either composition or artistic presentation. A wide variety of meats, cheeses, sweets, and toppings can appear in any number of designs, from paper cones to word shapes. This makes them perfect for a personalized display at your cocktail hour.

Colorful bowls and matching florals from Westvirjeni helped create the perfect tropical-themed charcuterie display for this themed wedding above at Kalero vineyard.

There are no rules to what you can add to a charcuterie display to customize it for any occasion. Here Honey D. Charcuterie decorated cones with disco balls for our disco-theme styled shoot, and on the right a cart from Precision Planning gives a more romantic vibe.

Spell it out! Letter-shaped trays from El Board let you spell your message out in a sweet and savory way.

Above, Grazeful’s display at Westvirjeni’s Galentine’s event put the “art” in culinary arts.

Aside from aesthetics, why do you need charcuterie? Well, for practical purposes, you’ll want to feed your guests during cocktail hour, especially if you’re serving them drinks. Charcuterie provides something easy to eat while standing and chatting, and also allows you to offer something for everyone, mixing meats, cheeses, fruits, grains, and even sweets.