The cheese in question was immediately declared the best cabrales of the year. “We knew that we had a good cheese, but also that it is very difficult to win,” cheesemaker Guillermo Pendás told the Spanish news agency ‘EFE’. The blue-veined cheese matured for “at least eight months” in a cave at an altitude of about 1,400 meters at a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius.
A normal cabrales fluctuates between 35 and 40 euros per kilo. The cheese is made from raw cow’s milk or a combination of cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. The product matures in caves in the Cabrales area, in the Picos de Europa National Park. After maturing, she is brought down from the caves on foot.
The previous world record for the most expensive cheese was broken by the same restaurant owner, Iván Suárez, in 2019, when he paid 20,500 euros.
He put down a little more money for this cabrales cheese. Suárez said “the passion for the land” and “recognition of the work of the cheese makers” were important reasons for purchasing the cheese.