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Elaborate sausage boards have been taking over the social feeds of food enthusiasts for well over a year. There were artful combinations of the usual items such as cheese, meat and fruit, as well as plates of desserts and colorful sweets.
If you’ve seen boards stacked with dog-bone shaped biscuits and homemade jerky strips, these are not intended for human consumption.
They are called “Barkuterie”.
Kristine Boyd, 51, first saw the trend on Pinterest. She lives with three Dachshunds – Riley, Brody, and Jasper – in Orlando, Florida, and after some positive news from her veterinarian, she decided to make them a bartender board.
Brody, the eldest of the trio, had been declared cancer-free after a biopsy. “I was so excited. So I decided,” You know what? I’m going to the Woof Gang Bakery for some goodies, “said Ms. Boyd, who works in retail management. She indulged in Snoopy specialties and heart-shaped cookies , only because.
What began as a plate with her favorite dogs turned into an artistic project. “My boys love blueberries, so I thought, ‘OK, let’s add some fruit for a bit of variety and color,” she said.
Her Dachshunds seemed pleased with the result. “They have bottomless stomachs, but they’re heading for fruits and vegetables because they don’t get them every day,” said Ms. Boyd. She plans to make boards for her birthdays again.
Shelters across the country are seeing high adoption rates and people are spending more time with their dogs than ever before. Americans spent a record $ 103 billion on their pets last year, according to the American Pet Products Association. For many of these owners, dogs are more than just pets. You are part of the family. Barkuterie is one way to confirm this bond.
Lyndsay Shackelford, 28, made a St. Patrick’s Day board for her beagle mix Wilson. She whipped “puppy-sicles” with goat milk and kale, sweet potato chews, and sliced vegetables, and served them to Wilson with a cup of dog beer (which can be made from water, chicken or pork and malt extract).
“He went straight to the dog beer I drank on it,” said Ms. Shackelford, who lives in Baltimore and who owns the Dogs of Charm City website. “He avoided the vegetables, but he had fun with them.”
The charcuterie board trend on social media is largely documented, but Barkuterie has received less attention since photos of the boards surfaced on Instagram in 2019. Their popularity seems to be growing thanks to new companies selling dog-friendly snack boards, guides on pet blogs, and creative ways to relieve stress.
In January, Heather Raeder, a 29-year-old Chicago hospital pharmacist, channeled her own creativity into an elaborately arranged table of homemade dog biscuits, peas, and dried meat for her two corgis, Ellie and Crouton. Since then, she has made her hobby a sideline, selling arrangements for around $ 20 to dog owners across Chicago.
Similarly, 35-year-old Amanda Yu-Nguyen welcomed the opportunity to pursue a creative departure from her day job. Your dining table is now covered with barkuterie boards that feature locally made dog biscuits and jerky antelopes.
Ms. Yu-Nguyen, who works on student affairs at Emory University in Atlanta, said her 6-by-6 boxes, which start at $ 30, always have a mix of tough goodies, fresh fruits, and vegetables (like Blueberries) and dried are sweet potatoes. Sometimes she uses a chic side dish like a cucumber rose.
She recently started making boards that reflect her upbringing. “I’m Chinese, so making dim sum was a big part of my childhood,” said Ms. Yu-Nguyen. “Some of the items I put in the dog dim sum steamers try to mimic what a person would eat while doing dim sum.” Duck feet and tripe are some of the goodies that may appear in the steamers.
From a health standpoint, Aziza Glass, a 32-year-old veterinarian, said the boards of dog-safe food (hold the sausage and candy) “could be a great way for pet parents to participate in the diet when preparing their pets’ meals. “
She recommends using raw vegetables like strips of carrot and cucumber, blueberries, bananas, and strawberries, and a low-sodium turkey roast. In this way, Dr. Glass to avoid gastrointestinal problems instead of stacking the boards with biscuits.
There’s a fine line between caring for and pampering your own pets, and portion control is key to that distinction. After Mrs. Boyd took a picture of her dachshunds with her platter, she served them individual plates so they wouldn’t overeat.
“I don’t have children of my own, so I definitely treat mine like children,” said Dr. Raeder about their corgis. And what do children love more than snacks made just for them?
