I love cheese, like a lot. Whenever I go to a gathering where there's food, I go straight for the cheese platter and observe all the delicious choices I get to eat. I'd say over the past few years I've tried a lot of different types of cheeses, so I like to say that I have a very diverse cheese palette. But little did I know how expensive cheese can be.
I work at a grocery store in my town and I've seen the prices of cheese. When I first started working there, which was four years ago, I was shocked by how expensive it is. I'm still shocked, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it. Once a cheese lover, always a cheese lover.
A family friend of mine makes cheese once in a while and sometimes brings it over to my house, and let me tell you, the days he stops by I get so excited. The types of cheeses he makes aren't the typical ones your hear like provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan, American, or cheddar. They have some cool-funky names that I can't remember because I'm so infatuated with the taste.
After doing some extensive research about how expensive cheese can be, I realized I don't have that big of a cheese palette as I thought, because there are so many types out there that I have yet to get my hands on. I guess I'm going to have to make a cheese bucket list.
So if you're a cheese lover like me and have stuck to your top three of four of your favorite kind, you may want to broaden your cheese horizon and check these top tier cheeses out. But a heads up, they're pretty pricy so you may want to reach out to other cheese lovers that you know and split the cost and have yourself a cheese tasting party.
For some cheese guidance, here are the 10 most expensive cheeses in the world:
10. Lord of the Hundreds: $20/pound
Lord of the Hundreds comes from East Sussex, England and is made from local sheep's milk. This type of cheese is rustic with a slightly dry, sharp, and nutty flavor.
9. Winnimere: $30/pound
This creamy, gooey and soft cheese originates in the state of Vermont. As part of a tradition, this cheese is only made during the winter months. So make sure to stock up on this cheese so you don't run out before they make more.
8. Rogue River Blue: $40/pound
Rogue River Blue originates from the lovely state of Oregon and was first made by a guy named Tom Vella who opened a creamery in Southern Oregon during the Depression. This firm textured cheese will definitely cheer you up with its hazelnut and fruity flavors.
7. Jersey Blue: $45/pound
This juicy, award-winning cheese was first made by Willi Schmid all the way in Switzerland. Even though this cheese has an American sounding name, it's actually a Swiss cheese that was named after a breed of cow whose milk it's made from. To me, this cheese looks like a piece of art, no wonder it won two awards.
6. Caciocavallo Podolico (Horse Cheese): $50/pound
Also known as the "Horse Cheese," Cacuicavallo Podolico is very popular in the southern part of Italy. Although it's nickname is horse cheese it's actually not made from horse's milk, it comes from a rare Italian breed of cow called Podolica. It is a very creamy cheese that is in the shape of pear, what's better than cheese looking like a fruit?
5. Old Ford: $50/pound
This delicate, firm cheese is aged and then pressed to perfection by hand. It's made from a goat's milk that comes all the way from England. This cheese is known for its savory, salty, and buttery flavor.
4. Extra Old Bitto: $150/pound
Get your travel shoes ready, this cheese comes from across the pond—all the way from China, in fact. China actually has some of the most expensive and oldest cheeses. This cheese in particular was made by a Hong Kong importer in 1997. Old Bitto cheese is aged for up to 10 years so this one is extra special.
3. Wyke Farms Cheddar: $200/pound
This rather expensive cheese is known for making sandwiches taste better and often pairs perfectly with wines and beers. It is actually one of the most traditional cheeses. This cheese, made in 1861 by the Wyke Farms family in Great Britain is also an award-winning cheese.
2. White Stilton Gold: $420/pound
White Stilton cheese is actually the cousin to the famous blue cheese from Britain but is extra creamy and deliciously tangy. This cheese is often made with different fruit flavors like lemon, ginger, apricots, and many other combos.
1. Pule: $600/pound
Here we have the most expensive cheese. What makes it so expensive is that it comes from the milk of a Balkan donkey from Siberia. It's not just the most expensive cheese, but also one of the rarest of them all. It takes 25 liters of the donkey's milk to make just one kilogram of the cheese. It is originally from Siberia but will soon be making its away around the world.
Now, with all of these newly discovered cheeses I hope to be able to get my hands on some of these beauties and cross them off of my cheese bucket list.