A super snack for game day
These antipasto bites take everything you would see on a traditional antipasto platter and present a little taste of each element on a personal skewer.
Antipasto is the dish that initiates gathering around the table and preparing to share a meal. If you ask most people who have ever entered a traditional Italian home what it’s like, they will likely say the kitchen is clearly the heart of it, with cooking and food the love language.
I grew up spending a ton of time in the kitchen; it was the norm for family and friends to constantly hover around the stove, waiting to taste test or have first dibs on whatever my mother was cooking. It’s a fun, beautiful and often humorous tradition that continues in my own home today. And a lot of those memories happen to begin with antipasto platters, or antipasto bites.
What is antipasto?
Antipasto is a traditional Italian platter served as an appetizer before the main meal. It’s named quite literally for its meaning, as the Latin root of the word, anti, means “before,” and pastus means “meal.” Antipasto kicks things off in a most warm, welcoming and delicious way through a colorful and flavorful platter of meats, cheeses, vegetables, olives, bread and more.
What’s the difference between antipasto and charcuterie?
On the surface, antipasto platters and charcuterie boards share many similarities. They’re both traditionally served on a platter, and both include meats served with other small bites and garnishes. However, these two unique beauties most certainly have their differences — especially when it comes to cultural background and core ingredients.
Antipasto platters have an Italian origin and often include meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables (eggplant, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers and mushrooms), hard-boiled eggs, olives and bread. They’re most often served as a shared first course or appetizer before a main meal.
Charcuterie boards come from France, where the term “charcuterie” refers to the preparing of cured meats. A charcuterie board is usually filled with cooked and dry-cured meats with garnishes like bread, olives, dried fruit, nuts and maybe honey or jam. It can be served as an appetizer course, but it is often enjoyed as a stand-alone platter-style meal or snack shared among a group.