Cabrales Cheese Sells for 30,000 Euros, Sets New World Record

Spain has several gastronomic claims to fame, and one of them is its delicious Cabrales cheese, typically made in Asturias.

In fact, this cheese recently set a new Guinness World Record when a cheese by cheesemaker Los Puertos won the 51^st edition of the Cabrales Cheese Competition. The cheese was then sold to El Llagar de Colloto restaurant for an impressive 30,000 euros. The 2.2-kilo cheese was made with cow and goat’s milk and was aged for 10 months.

Cabrales is a typically semi-hard fatty blue cheese that has its own protected designation of origin, Queso de Cabrales PDO , and the milk used to produce it comes exclusively from herds raised in the mountains of the Picos de Europa. It’s creamy and firm and usually has a strong, penetrating aroma, and an acidic, salty, and sharp taste.

Beyond Cabrales, Spain is home to hundreds of more than 200 types of cheese. While there are several most well known types, such as Manchego, Idiazabal, Mahón-Menorca, and Tetilla, each Spanish region has its own specialties with Asturias standing as one of the most important. They vary depending on the type of milk used, cheesemaking techniques which are often passed down from generation to generation, the aging or curing process, and the climate, among other factors. Cheese in Spain can be eaten as a standalone dish, as part of a tapa, and as a dessert.