The 10 Most Expensive Cheeses in the World

Cheese has been a prized food since historical times for a number of reasons. In part because it contains large amounts of fats and proteins as well as important nutrients such as calcium and phosphorous, which made it useful for maintaining an optimal state of health. However, it should also be noted that cheese is much more convenient than milk, both because it uses up less storage space and because it can be stored for much longer periods of times without the risk of spoilage. As a result, a wide range of cultures have come up with a wide range of cheeses over the centuries, which range from the simple but widespread to the rare and unusual meant for a select clientele.

For the select clientele, here are 10 of the most expensive cheeses in the world:

Winnimere

American-made, Winnimere is a reinterpretation of classic cheeses that can be found the Switzerland. At almost $30 a pound, it is an expensive product, but one that is well worth its price because of its sheer excellence, as proven by the awards and other accolades that it has won over the course of years and years. Better still, it pairs well with a number of foods, which range from berries to smoked meats.

Beaufort D'ete

As stated by its name, Beaufort D'ete is made in Beaufort, which can be found in the Savoie region of the French Alps. The product is both soft and creamy, which combine with its pungent smell to make it a popular choice for use in cheese fondue as well as other delicious dishes. Generally speaking, it can be found for about $35 a pound, which makes it a premium product but not so much so that it is out of reach for people who want a special kind of cheese for a special occasion.

Gorau Glas

Made in Wales, Gorau Glas comes at around $40 a pound, which had once made it the single most expensive kind of cheese that was produced in the United Kingdom. It is a soft cheese that can be recognized by the blue veins that run through it, which provide it with a pleasing appearance as well as a pleasing taste that come from both excellent ingredients and a stringent production process.

Rogue River Blue

Rogue River Blue is one of the best cheeses made in the state of Oregon, which shows in its price of about $40 a pound. Each piece consists of creamy blue cheese made using raw summer's milk that is all the more luxurious because it was finished by being put in leaves soaked with pear brandy for a special taste all its own.

Extra Old Bitto

Historically, cheese was not a popular food in China for a number of reasons, ranging from a relative scarcity in suitable livestock to its association with the nomadic peoples to the north. However, that has started to change with the partial westernization of its palate, which could be why the people behind Extra Old Bitto started out by selling the product in Chinese markets but has since spread it to other countries as well. At almost $150 a pound, this particular product bears little resemblance to other Bitto cheeses produced in the Italian peninsula, thus making it one of a kind.

Wyke Farms Vintage Cheddar

Unlike some of other cheeses on this list, Wyke Farms Vintage Cheddar has no gimmicks to it. Instead, it is cheddar that seems much the same as the other cheddar produced throughout England, but set apart by the passion that has been poured into it. The result is an award-winning product that is much superior to its competitors, which is why this luxurious product can command a price of $190 a pound.

Clawson Stilton Gold

Clawson Stilton Gold lives up to its name by being a cheese shot through with gold liqueur as well as an edible kind of gold leaf. As a result, it comes at close to $450 a pound, which is much more than the rest of the cheese produced by the English cheesemaker behind the product. Unsurprisingly, most Clawson Stilton Gold is consumed outside of the United Kingdom, seeing as how most of its clients are the rich and famous.

Elk House Cheese

Despite its name, Elk House cheese is not made using elk milk but moose milk. To be exact, it is made using the milk of three tamed mooses named Gullan, Haelga, and Juna, so it should come as no surprise to learn there is a limited amount of the Swedish cheese that can be found on the open market. This is particularly true because most of the product is sold through a famous restaurant called Algen Hus, while the rest can be had for $455 a pound.

Pule Cheese

Pule cheese is one of the most expensive cheeses in the world at $600 a pound because its production is so limited. In brief, there are about 100 donkeys that are milked three times a day for the donkey milk needed to make the product, which is made all the worse by the fact that 6.6 gallons of donkey milk result in no more than 2.2 pounds of Pule cheese. It is interesting to note that part of the Serbian cheese's particular taste comes from the fact that it is smoked as part of the production process.

Caciocavallo Podolico

Caciocavallo Podolico can be recognized by the elongated shape that it shares with other caciocavallo cheeses, which exists because they are suspended from a rod by rope that has been tied around its "neck." Like its name states, it is made using the milk of a rare breed of cattle called the Podolica, which spend summer in the mountains and winter in the pastures of Puglia. The result is a complex cheese that costs an astonishing $650 a pound.

Further Considerations

Cheese lovers are still coming up with all sorts of new and exciting ways to make cheese. As a result, it seems probable that there will be an ever-widening range of cheeses catering to the personal preferences of an ever-widening range of cheese lovers. Chances are good that some of these cheeses will become new contenders for this list, whether because they will be rare or because they will have been made to cater to clients with rich tastes.