Cabrales cheese sets record with £30,000 auction sale
Aged cheeses can be worth a fortune and even end up at auctions. Spanish media reported that at one such auction, Cabrales cheese "set a new Guinness World Record." A well-known restaurateur paid hundreds of thousands of zlotys for this delicacy.
The record was broken at an auction in Arenas de Cabrales in northern Spain. Cheese producers have been competing for the title of the best product there for over half a century. "Fakt" reported that after the competition, an auction takes place, making the highest-rated cheese the property of the winner.
Cheese for over £30,000 sets auction record
This year, 15 producers competed for the title of best cheese. The jury decided to honour cheese from the Ángel Díaz Herrero dairy in Tielve (weighing 2.5 kg).
At the auction, Cabrales cheese was sold for €36,000 (about £30,000). This amount was paid by Iván Suárez, owner of the renowned restaurant Llagar de Colloto, who has been collecting culinary rarities for years.
For a similar amount, you can buy a car. To afford such cheese, a Pole with minimum wage (as of July - 4,300 PLN gross, 3,261.53 PLN net) would have to work four years.
The portal Revista Urban Beat indicates in a post on Instagram that with such a valuation, the product "will easily remain in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive cheese in the world sold at auction this year."
What makes Cabrales cheese special?
Connoisseurs of exquisite taste sensations have known and appreciated Cabrales cheese for years. It is produced in the mountainous region of Asturias in northern Spain.
The strong flavour and blue mould of this cheese make it unmistakable. This is due to a specific production process - it is made from unpasteurised milk and then aged in natural caves in the Picos de Europa massif, where it develops its intensity and unique aromas.
How much does such a delicacy cost? Cabrales cheese prices range around €30-42 (or about £26-£36) per kilogram. The final cost depends on the length of aging.
The lucky buyer of the cheese - Iván Suárez, is a well-known restaurateur in culinary circles. His restaurant is renowned for the quality of its dishes and the collection of unique cheeses he regularly auctions in Arenas de Cabrales. In 2023, he paid €30,000 for another wheel of Cabrales cheese. This year, he broke his own record.
World's most expensive fruit sold for £32,000
Even higher valuation was achieved by durian, which was hailed as the world's most expensive fruit. In 2019, it was auctioned for £32,000.
Durian, known as the "king of fruits," is a large fruit weighing 2-4 kg. It is particularly popular in Asia, where it grows on evergreen trees. Its odour can cause nausea - for this reason, it is banned in many places, even in Asia, where it is a delicacy.
