A Vegan Charcuterie Board for Tu B'Shvat
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Today is Tu B’Shvat, known to Jewish school kids as “the birthday of the trees”. The primary role of this minor festival is to celebrate and honor the trees and the fruits that the Land of Israel is blessed with. These include the “seven species”: pomegranates, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley and olive oil.
What Does Tu B’Shvat Celebrate?
According to Chabad.org, this day “marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.”
Therefore, it is customary both to plant trees and to eat as many fruits as possible, making an effort to try fruits that you have not yet eaten this season.
Common Tu B’Shvat Customs
Some people simply eat a bowl of dried fruits and nuts.
Others, particularly in Israel, will eat carob (which grows wild all over Israel).
Another custom is to host a Tu B’Shvat seder, in which people taste at least 15 varieties of fruits (following a tradition begun by famed Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria)
Or you can prepare a charcuterie board that includes pomegranates, grapes, dates, figs and olives.
Make Your Own Vegan Charcuterie Board
I have always intrigued by the concept of a charcuterie. They are colorful, appetizing and diverse in their finger food offerings.
A traditional charcuterie combines meats, cheeses, a small array of fruits, nuts, vegetables and crackers.
Inspired by the concept of eating numerous varieties of fruits and vegetables on Tu B'Shvat, I decided to create a vegan charcuterie today.
I was not successful in finding the vegan meat that wanted. However, there is otherwise a bounty of food diversity represented in this board:
Smoked cheddar cashew cheese (Misha’s Kind Foods)
Garden veggie almond cheese (Kite Hill Foods)
Original sprouted seed crackers (Simple Mills)
Classic super seed crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers)
Kirkland organic dried mangos and organic pecans (Costco)
Organic raisins (Thompson and golden), pomegranates, walnuts and almonds (Nicholas Family Farms)
Organic deglet noor dates (Desert Valley)
Fennel, tomatoes, broccoli (Underwood Family Farms)
Manzanilla olives (Trader Joe’s)
Organic celery (Sunrise Organic Farm)
I did not have figs, the only missing fruit of the seven species.
Voilà! – a veritable smorgasbord!
Try this at home. You can use almost any combination of vegan meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, vegetables and crackers. It’s also a fun way to introduce these foods to your kids!
