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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
04/12/2025
Just like a trailer sets your expectations about a movie, appetisers set the mood for a delicious meal. But coming up with the right mix of appetisers can, at times, be more difficult than solving a maths equation. You want to serve something easy and quick to assemble, but also fancy enough to fit a party. And few things nail this balance better than grazing boards.
The French invented the concept of charcuterie boards featuring cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments such as fruits, nuts, and spreads, served on a wooden board or slab. The world took the concept, and like with anything that transforms from local to global, made it its own. Thus was born the grazing board. Like charcuterie boards, these too are displays of bite-sized foods. However, there’s more on display than meat, cheese, fruits, and nuts. Different savoury and sweet snacks are added to the mix to provide something substantial for guests to "graze" on throughout an event. It’s meant to create a sense of abundance with ingredients artfully arranged to overlap each other. And when it comes to Indian cuisine, the snacks are easy to pick, the dips can be pre-made and pre-mixed, and the arrangement? Expect a lot more colour!
An Indian grazing board is, naturally, made with Indian snacks and dips to the mix. Street-style snacks, usually from different regions, come together in a vibrant and artistic display. For example, samosas, dhokla, paneer tikka, and namkeen, paired with various chutneys that act as dips. At times, these snacks accompany classic elements, like cheese and nuts. But in most cases, it’s Indian snacks on a global, or rather, French arrangement.
Key Elements
When setting up your own grazing board, keep these elements in mind:
There is no fixed menu for a grazing board. But these ticks and trips can make it quicker and easier to put together the board, saving time and effort without compromising on flavour or experience:
Here are some recommended snacks that you can opt for because they are easy to pick, don’t have sweet or savoury sauces, and are bite-sized (or can be easily adapted to be):
Dips & Condiments: Provide a variety of chutneys (hari mirch, dahi, tamarind), hummus, or a creamy toum for dipping.
Sweets: Here, again, avoid items that drip (like rosogulla) and opt for easily portable sweets. Go for a mix of store-bought and homemade sweets. The idea is for people to be able to graze throughout. Here are some good options:
Quick assembly items like speedy chaat bites: Use pre-made crispy puris or sturdy crackers as a base. Top with a quick filling of boiled potato cubes, chopped onions, and tomatoes. Drizzle with store-bought green chutney and tamarind chutney, add a dollop of yoghurt, and garnish with sev (thin gram flour noodles) and fresh coriander leaves.
When there are no fixed rules to follow, the results can range from surprises to chaos. The list helps you stray away from messy displays and arduous boards. Because the idea is not just to entertain, but also to enjoy the party you host. So bring out the pre-mixes, prep ahead, and batch cook. And when the day of the party comes, don’t just remain in the kitchen. Mingle, enjoy, and graze with your guests.