Cabrales cheese sets auction record with CAD 54,000 sale in Spain
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 thousands 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.
Cheese for over CAD 54,000 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 kilograms).
Cabrales cheese was sold at the auction for €36,000, or about CAD 54,000. Iván Suárez, owner of the renowned restaurant Llagar de Colloto, who has been collecting culinary rarities for years, paid this amount.
You can buy a car for a similar amount. A Canadian on minimum wage (as of April—CAD 17,3) would have to work around 391 days, which is over a year.
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 mold of this cheese 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 CAD 45-CAD 63) 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 CAD 45,000 for another wheel of Cabrales cheese. This year, he broke his own record.
World’s most expensive fruit sold for CAD 54,000
Even higher valuation was achieved by durian, which was hailed as the world’s most expensive fruit. In 2019, it was auctioned for CAD 54,000.
Durian, known as the "king of fruits," is a large fruit weighing 2-4 kilograms. 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.
