A Cabrales Cheese Sold for €37,500 at Auction

The cheese was named the best entry at the 54th Certamen del Queso de Cabrales, an annual competition in Asturias, northern Spain. Its auction price exceeded the previous record of €37,000, paid the year before, by €500. The figure was also reported as a new Guinness World Records mark.

The winning piece was made by Ángel Díaz Herrero, a cheesemaker based in Tielve, Asturias. It spent nine months maturing in a cave. The producer received the competition’s top award for the third consecutive year, while 14 producers took part in this edition.

Cabrales is made by hand from raw cow’s milk, or from combinations of cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. The cheese matures in natural caves in the Picos de Europa, where humid conditions support the mould responsible for its blue-green veins.

Cabrales has held Protected Designation of Origin status since 1981. Annual production is about 400,000 kilograms, and almost one-quarter is sold outside Spain, according to the information reported by the source.

La Montera Picona said the cheese would not remain solely at its restaurant. The Gijón establishment plans to share it with the three Madrid restaurants that also took part in the bidding, allowing it to be served in both cities.