Pairings Pairs & Trios
Combinations
The best charcuterie combinations: pairs, trios & quartets
The best-loved charcuterie combinations are brie with fig jam, prosciutto with melon, Manchego with membrillo, and aged cheddar with apple. Add walnuts, honey or a pickle to turn a pair into a trio.
Perfect Pairs
Two foods that make each other better.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Brie + Fig Jam
Sweet, dense jam against mild, salty cream. The pairing most people try first, for good reason.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Manchego + Membrillo
Spain's nutty sheep's cheese with its own quince paste. Firm and sweet, salty and floral.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Prosciutto + Melon
Salt makes the melon sweeter; the melon's water makes the ham taste silkier.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Parmigiano + Balsamic
Two products of Emilia-Romagna: salty crystals and sweet-tart glaze.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Gorgonzola + Fig Jam
Sweet jam rounds off blue cheese's sharp, salty edge.
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Perfect Pair · Contrast the texture
Stilton + Walnuts
Crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts against rich, crumbly blue.
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Perfect Pair · Acid cuts richness
Aged Cheddar + Apple
Crisp, tart apple cuts the fat of a sharp cheddar and resets your palate.
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Perfect Pair · Contrast the texture
Burrata + Prosciutto
Cool, milky cream against salty, silky ham.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Chorizo + Manchego
The Spanish tapas pair: smoky paprika pork and nutty sheep's cheese.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Goat Cheese + Honey
Honey softens chèvre's tang; the tang keeps honey from tasting cloying.
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Perfect Pair · What grows together goes together
Mortadella + Pistachios
Bologna's silky sausage already has pistachios inside. Serve extra on the side.
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Perfect Pair · Salt loves sweet
Pecorino + Honey
Sharp, salty sheep's cheese with a drizzle of honey. A Roman after-dinner classic.
Trios
Add a third bite and the pairing gets a texture or a bridge.
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Trio · Contrast the texture
Brie + Fig Jam + Walnuts
Creamy, sweet and crunchy in one bite. The walnut adds the texture brie lacks.
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Trio · Salt loves sweet
Gorgonzola + Pear + Walnuts
Juicy pear cools the blue, walnuts add crunch and a bitter edge.
Gorgonzola + Pears + Walnuts
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Trio · Salt loves sweet
Prosciutto + Melon + Mint
Mint adds a cool, bright top note to the salt-sweet classic.
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Trio · Acid cuts richness
Smoked Salmon + Cream Cheese + Capers
Smoke, cream and brine: the bagel-shop trio.
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Trio · Match the weight
Comté + Pear + Walnuts
Nutty cheese, nutty walnut, and pear to keep it fresh.
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Trio · What grows together goes together
Manchego + Chorizo + Marcona Almonds
A tapas bar in three bites: nutty, smoky and salty-crunchy.
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Trio · Contrast the texture
Goat Cheese + Honey + Pistachios
Tangy, sweet and crunchy, with a green-and-gold look that photographs well.
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Trio · Salt loves sweet
Aged Gouda + Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt
Caramel crystals, bitter cocoa and a pinch of salt: a dessert board in one bite.
Quartets
Four-part bites: a whole board's worth of contrast on one cracker.
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Quartet · Contrast the texture
Burrata + Prosciutto + Basil + Olive Oil
An Italian summer plate: cream, salt, herb and a peppery finish.
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Quartet · What grows together goes together
The Spanish Four
Nutty cheese, smoky pork, sweet quince and salty almonds. Every Spanish tapas flavor on one cracker.
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Quartet · Acid cuts richness
The Bagel Board Four
Smoke, cream, brine and sharp pickled onion. Put it on a bagel chip.
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Quartet · Contrast the texture
Brie + Pear + Honey + Walnuts
Soft, juicy, sweet and crunchy: four textures that make mild brie taste bigger.
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Quartet · Acid cuts richness
The French Ham & Cheese
Nutty Gruyère, sweet ham, sour cornichons and sharp Dijon: a croque-monsieur without the bread.
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Quartet · Salt loves sweet
Goat Cheese + Fig + Honey + Pistachio
Tangy, jammy, sweet and crunchy. The prettiest bite on a fall board.
Fresh Chèvre + Honey + Figs + Pistachios
Want to test your own? Use Do these go together? in the Pairing Finder.
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