Rogue River blue cheese crowned the winner in the World Cheese Awards

The world’s best cheese has finally been declared and it comes from Oregon in the United States. The organic blue cheese named, Rogue River blue cheese has been crowned the winner in the yearly World Cheese Awards. This is the first time that a cheese product from the United States has won the prestigious award. The winning organic blue cheese is made organically from the milk of a cow. The cheese is produced by the Rogue Creamery in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley.

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Rogue River Blue surpassed 3,800 of the world's most distinguished cheeses

Rogue River Blue surpassed 3,800 of the world's most distinguished cheeses, from 42 countries and 6 continents, according to a panel of 260 expert judges from around the globe. Rogue River Blue Cheese is an organic, cave-aged blue cheese that is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that are soaked in pear spirits. The Rogue Creamery is selling the cheese on its website for $75 (approx. ₹5,300) for a 566 grams quarter wheel or $235 (approx. ₹16,600) for a 2.2-kilo whole wheel.

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Rogue River blue cheese might be the best but not the most expensive

The Rogue River blue cheese might be the best cheese in the world but it is still miles off in comparison to the most expensive cheese in the world. The distinction of being the most expensive cheese in the world is reserved for Pule cheese and it is made from the milk of a donkey. Apart from some high-end restaurants, it is very rare and generally not commercially available. Pule cheese is for those curious about lesser-known fermented foods and those who enjoy exploring and finding unique experiences. This cheese is produced by hand-milking a herd of just 100 Balkan donkeys.

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A kilo of Pule cheese costs about ₹78,000

The almost omnipotent cheese is utopian only until one hears how much it costs, however. Each kilo of this donkey cheese costs 1,000 euros (approx. Rs 78,000), making it one of the most expensive cheese in the world in a very competitive market. The maker of this cheese, Slobodan Simic and his team, have been making this cheese since 2012. Their herd has about 200 donkeys who live on a nature reserve in northern Serbia called Zasavica. A staff member at Zasavica discovered that portions of donkey milk could be mixed with some from goats in order to craft the crumbly mounds of cheese. Since donkeys produce less than a litre of milk a day; a fraction of the 40 litres a cow can provide, this mixture also helps make up for the shortfall. 

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