30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEThe first thing you'll notice about this cutting board is, of course, the incredibly beautiful finish of the glossy, marbled walnut. Canaletto walnut is a deep dark brown with almost black veins winding through the surface like rivers on an old map, and because the board is made from a single piece of wood rather than glued strips, the grain runs unbroken from edge to edge. No two boards look exactly alike. The second thing you'll notice is the weight. Three kilos of solid walnut, four centimetres thick, and when you set it down on the worktop it lands with a dull, satisfying thud that says it has no intention of moving.
Working on it is a completely different experience from an ordinary cutting board. The knife meets wood that is firm yet gives ever so slightly, so the edge glides through the onion instead of striking it, and stays sharp longer. The board stays perfectly still under its own weight, and around the edge runs a discreet groove that catches the juices when you carve a roast or the juice from a ripe tomato, so it doesn't run all over the worktop. The edges are softly rounded and the surface is as smooth as velvet under your palm.
And when the food is ready, it doesn't stop being useful. This is a board that deserves to be carried to the table, with a couple of cheeses, cured ham, olives and bread, or with a whole Sunday roast carved in front of the guests. Dark wood does something to food. It makes the colours glow and everything look a little more cared for, like a still life by an old Italian master.
The board is part of Marcato's Heritage range, where dark walnut and brass meet in kitchen tools inspired by the 20th-century Italian kitchen, in a darker and more refined interpretation. It's the kind of thing you buy once and keep for the rest of your life, and with a little oil now and then it only becomes more beautiful the more it's used. Marcato has been making kitchen tools in Campodarsego near Padua since 1930.
Cutting board in solid canaletto walnut with juice groove. Approx. 40 x 30 x 4 cm, weight approx. 3 kg. Wash by hand. Made in Italy.
