The craziest cheeses in the world

Cheese is probably the most versatile dairy product there is. There are variations of cheese on every continent, and they all produce it a little differently. In this blog post, we will take an exciting culinary journey and explore some of the most unusual and fascinating cheeses in the world.

1. the most expensive cheese: Pule

Pule from the Serbian nature reserve Zasavica is considered the most expensive cheese in the world. The milk comes from Balkan donkeys, of which there are only a few hundred left. It takes around 25 liters of milk to produce one kilogram of cheese. That is about 2.5 times as much as it takes to make mozzarella. In addition, the donkeys cannot be milked by machines - earlier attempts failed, according to producers. Accordingly, a farmer has to milk the donkeys three times a day. Quite a lot of effort! You pay around CHF 1,000 for a kilo. If you want to spend a little less money for a similar taste, you can also opt for Manchego cheese. Its taste is compared to Pule cheese, although the Serbian cheese is described as slightly finer.

2. the cheese with the most interesting refinement: Luce

In Switzerland, we are already familiar with cheese whose rind is refined with flowers or nuts. But Luce, a hard cheese from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, offers a more original refinement, namely charcoal. This gives the cheese a mineral taste and a noble, deep black coating. The cheese is also decorated with gold leaf, which, according to the manufacturer, also serves as a natural enzymatic simulant. Despite the golden decoration, you "only" pay around CHF 73 for a kilogram compared to the Pule.

3. the hardest cheese in the world: Chhurpi

Probably the hardest cheese comes from Nepal. The production of Chhurpi has a century-long tradition. In the remote mountains of the Himalayas, the high protein content and nutritional value of Chhurpi are particularly important. But what else makes the cheese so special? Its hardness. Locals often chew on a small piece of the cheese for hours, which becomes softer over time and can be swallowed. What's more, the cheese can be kept fresh for 20 years if it is preserved in a special skin from yaks, a special breed of cattle found in high Asia.

4. the most dangerous cheese in the world: Casu Marzu

This cheese was named the most dangerous cheese in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in 2009. But what makes it so special, so dangerous? It's the live maggots that live in this cheese - and are eaten with it. Casu Marzu is a Sardinian sheep's milk cheese that is deliberately infected with fly larvae. The larvae eat, digest and excrete the cheese, making it creamy and soft. However, there is also a danger in eating it, because if the maggots enter the digestive tract unchewed, they can bite through the stomach wall and cause dangerous symptoms. The trade in casu marzu has been banned in the EU, but it is still produced and sold unofficially at high prices.

5. the cheese with the most special appearance: Blaus Hirni

Blaus Hirni is a blue cheese made by Peter Glauser, who produces the infamous cheese in Belp, Bern. The cheese is so special that it is even sold successfully in London's Borough Market. Its appearance, which is reminiscent of a brain due to its wave-like structure, is the reason for its name. The cheese is matured in a damp cave, where it is given a beautiful blue coating. Although the cheese is covered with a strong blue mold, it is absolutely safe to eat.


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