by April Lisante

May is the season for graduation parties, open houses, outdoor dinners and picnics. And yes, the good old barbecue is typically our standby. But there is a better way to get the party started in a chic, foodie way – the mighty groaning board.

The term "groaning board" dates to the 17th century, when tables were often called boards, and it was said that they would groan, or creak, with the sheer weight of a nice healthy feast. But in recent months, this goliath of gustation has reached legendary proportions, fueled by improbable Pinterest photos featuring 8-foot farmhouse tables covered with cheese, meats and fruits from end to end. Does it look intimidating? Perhaps. But is it truly a work of food art.

I tried creating a groaning board myself last Christmas at my mother’s annual Christmas Eve seven-fish dinner. Like many Italian moms, she does not accept change easily, and she took some convincing to switch up the decades-old dinner routine, which always included exhaustive course after course. Think eating a giant bowl of pasta and gorging on bread, all while seated. Then here comes the fish, so stay in your seat and eat because it’s only the third hour. I made my groaning board pitch in November to ease her into the idea. I even purchased the 5-foot wood board. She was still skeptical.

Cut to Christmas Eve, when we’d artfully covered the board with a plastic cloth, then filled it with every type of appetizer imaginable. Guests treated it as a magical buffet. A cousin and an aunt whipped out their phones to snap pictures. It sustained 20 mingling guests for nearly two hours before the fish made an appearance. A star was born.

For spring and summer get-togethers, where guests are encouraged to mingle, to be outside and to come and go, this is a no-brainer idea.

So of course, to learn the ways of the board, we had to go to the queen of the groaning board, Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop owner Susan Weiss, who with her husband Dan, has run the homey shop for decades. “In general, what people don’t realize is that cheese can be eaten at any meal,” said Weiss, who has recently even been making cheese-tiered wedding cakes for customers. “I am finding people are having cheese as an appetizer, for brunch and even for dessert.”

To begin, find a half-inch to one-inch-thick board that fits the length of your table, acting as a runner. Then, it’s time to cover it. Use a plastic cloth or something non-porous. You can also buy hard-carved, pre-treated and sealed wood boards, which can range from $50 to upwards of $100 and don’t need to be covered. Next, assemble the must-haves: cheeses, charcuterie, fruits, nuts, crackers, spreads and olives.

When choosing cheese, opt for both hard and soft varieties. Weiss likes a nice brie, then a hard option like black truffle Moliterno. You can substitute a romano or parmesan as well. Next, choose at least two charcuterie options, like a hard salami and prosciutto, a groaning board favorite. When looking for fruits, opt for those that aren’t messy or too juicy. Strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and dried fruits like apricots are perfect. Next, choose nuts that are weighty enough to hold up, like pecans or almonds.

Having a couple of spreads available allows guests to top a cracker then add a chunk of cheese. Weiss carries her favorite at the shop, a marmalade infused with saffron and caraway. But hummus or a supermarket fig spread are also good options, presented in ramekins alongside the crackers. Finally, don’t forget the olives, both green and black … One rule of thumb: never pile things high on a groaning board. Food should be spread in such a way that everything is visible.

April Lisante, former food editor at the Philadelphia Daily News, is a resident of Flourtown. She can be reached at aprillisante@gmail.com