Goblins, ghouls and ghosts, gather around because spooky season is officially upon us. Halloween is just round the corner and the good chefs of the internet are celebrating by making severed hands out of prosciutto. That, my dears and devils, is a char-spookerie board if I’ve ever seen one.
In case you’ve never seen a prosciutto severed hand before — and honestly, I can’t blame you — please prepare yourselves. They have been cropping up on my TikTok as October 31 approaches and I’ve never been more horrified-yet-intrigued by a foodstuff.
This version by TikToker @chefgenevieve is the perfect example of an ooky spooky hand. It even has red onion nails. I genuinely cannot tell if I want to eat this or not.
@chefgenevieve Everything Edible Halloween Series Part 2: Edible Hand ✋🩸 Inspo @ghoulatheart #halloweenfood #halloweeninspo #foodtiktok ♬ I Put A Spell On You – Annie Lennox
When I think of Halloween food, I think of ALDI lollies and maybe a pumpkin-shaped biscuit with the world’s thickest orange icing.
But I simply have to give the prosciutto hand makers credit. This is true creativity.
It turns out, people have been making iterations of the prosciutto hand for years. I’m sure whoever created the first one made an absolute splash at their office Halloween party.
The Washington Post dubbed the trend “scare-cuterie” which, in my humble opinion, is nothing on “char-spookerie board”.
Lori Castellon — who posted a version of the recipe in 2014 and now runs a blog called Ghoul At Heart dedicated to Halloween food — reflected on its current popularity.
“Everyone seems to be doing it and people are putting all their own touches on it,” she told the publication.
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She’s not wrong: the internet is simply full of peoples’ takes on the prosciutto hand.
@healthyholme Scare-cuterie board made with cheese sticks, goat cheese, and prosciutto (idea seen posted by @ghoulatheart) #halloweenfood #halloweenfoodideas #halloweenishere #halloweenpartyideas #halloweenpartyfood #halloweenfoodart #halloweenfoodideas2022 ♬ Halloween at Hogwarts – Official Sound Studio
There are various versions of the prosciutto hands — I’ve seen them filled with a wild array of substances, ranging from mozzerella to cream cheese to goats cheese.
All of them are noble and worthy additions to any charcuterie board.
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While it may be a tad unnerving, I have to concede that this may be the ideal snack to accompany your household viewing of the The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers Treehouse of Horror crossover episode. And as someone who hates horror with a burning passion, I’d love to have a hand this large to hide behind in case my housemates force me to watch a scary movie.
You could also use it to absolutely terrify some trick or treaters. The prosciutto hand is the ultimate hybrid of both trick and treat. And hey, it’s hard to go past prosciutto and cheese, even in this spooky packaging.
