Cabrales cheese sets new record with $40,000 auction sale

Aged cheeses can be worth a fortune and even end up at auctions. Spanish media report that Cabrales cheese set a new Guinness World Record at one such auction. A well-known restaurateur paid tens of thousands of dollars 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. After the competition, an auction takes place, making the highest-rated cheese the winner's property.

This year, 15 producers competed for the title of best cheese. The jury decided to honor cheese from the Ángel Díaz Herrero dairy in Tielve (weighing 5.5 lbs).

At the auction, Cabrales cheese was sold for €36,000, or about $39,800. This amount was paid by Iván Suárez, owner of the renowned restaurant Llagar de Colloto, who has been collecting culinary rarities for years.

You can buy a car for a similar amount. To afford such cheese, an American with minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees ($7.25) must work for 687 days, which for an average American is over two and a half years.

The portal Revista Urban Beat indicates in an Instagram post 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."

For years, connoisseurs of exquisite taste sensations have known and appreciated Cabrales cheese. It is produced in the mountainous region of Asturias in northern Spain.

This cheese's strong flavor and blue mold make it unmistakable. This is due to a specific production process—it is made from unpasteurized 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 $33-$46) 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 ($33,000) for another wheel of Cabrales cheese. This year, he broke his own record.

The durian, hailed as the world's most expensive fruit, achieved an even higher valuation. In 2019, it was auctioned for $40,000.

Durian, known as the "king of fruits," is a large fruit weighing 4-9 lbs. It is particularly popular in Asia, where it grows on evergreen trees. Its odor can cause nausea, so it is banned in many places, even in Asia, where it is a delicacy.