The Colorful Fruit You Need To Add To Your 4th Of July Charcuterie Board

Independence Day will be here before you know it, which means now is the time to begin planning your party menu. While burgers and hot dogs are standard at July 4^th barbecues, creating a festive charcuterie board is another fun food option to consider. Organizing your ingredients to ensure a well-designed charcuterie board is a great start, but why not also use ingredients that best exemplify the holiday? 

The easiest route is to use red, white, and blue foods, such as strawberries, white cheeses, and blueberries. There's also a fruit that features two colors of the holiday in one package: berry figs. There are many types of figs, and the purple berry cultivar sports a cool purple hue (a shade that's pretty close to blue) on the outside, while the inside is a vibrant reddish color. Their patriotic hue makes them great for July 4^th, while their sweet, strawberry-like flavor profile can beautifully complement cheeses, cured meats, and more.

We have other ideas for charcuterie staples that both look on-theme and pair deliciously with fresh figs. You'll wind up with a sophisticated snack board of convenient finger foods, similar to a veggie platter or chips and dip, but a lot more special.

Before you choose ingredients for your red, white, and blue spread, it's good to know what to avoid, especially since your board will be sitting outside on a hot day. Certain ingredients have no place on charcuterie boards, such as fresh mozzarella (which can sweat in the sun) and apples (which can turn brown when exposed to the air). As an example of a great choice, prosciutto offers a pleasant fatty texture with a slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with figs. This cured pork product is also perfect for your 4^th of July party thanks to its rich red coloring, punctuated by lines of whitish fat. 

As for the cheeses, a potent blue cheese is the perfect complement to the refreshing flavor of figs. The white and blue coloring is on-theme, too — just be sure to keep the board out of direct sunlight to avoid melting. You can also use a port wine-infused cheese, which sports red marbling. And if you want a less strong-tasting, more crowd-pleasing option, go for white cheddar.

When it comes to fruit, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are obvious picks, but to get more creative, try using dragon fruit that's red on the outside with white, seed-speckled flesh. To finish your festive spread, feel free to poke a few miniature American flags into your cheeses.