The Adorable, Bite-Sized Aldi Meat I Always Use On My Charcuterie Boards

If you assemble charcuterie boards often, you're going to want to start sourcing your components from Aldi. Not only does it have affordable staples, including an excellent selection of cheeses, various dips and spreads, and crackers, but it also has all of the meat carnivores love on their boards. You would especially be remiss not to grab a bag of its Appleton Farms Bite-Size Dry Salami.

When I first saw this product, which was located in the other refrigerator case — not with the rest of the charcuterie meats — I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. Volume-wise, it seemed like a better buy, but how good could Aldi salami be, given the store doesn't even have an in-house deli counter? It turns out this salami is actually my version of the perfect snacking meat. The quarter-sized rounds of salami are the definition of a mindless snack, as they aren't super salty, overly savory, or loaded with spices and peppercorns. The flavor is approachable, mild, and something even folks who don't love deli meat can appreciate. I prefer to pair them with gouda cracker cuts, which offer the perfect mildly nutty complement to the meat, though I think any of Aldi's crackers or cheeses could be a good match for them.

It's fair to say I'm not the only person who loves this salami. On one Reddit thread, folks shared their admiration for this refrigerator staple, especially when it comes to charcuterie. "I LOVE the [bite-size salami]. We always have it for parties/events with cheese and crackers," one user said. Others have said the bite-sized version is actually preferable to the full-sized slices. "I've only ever seen the mini ones in my store, but they are soooo good," said another user.

Now, I cannot attest to how tasty the spicy version of the bite-size salami is, nor how the salami compares to other Aldi sliced meat favorites (including the roast beef, which some shoppers think is worth paying extra for). All I'm saying is that, for a store that has such limited SKUs, the fact it carries an excellent, flavorful, and well-balanced snacking salami is quite impressive. It may not beat what is sold at your local Italian deli, but it does fit the bill for all of your charcuterie needs.