The Reason A Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Costs $209 Per Pound
While most of your average grocery store cheeses are relatively inexpensive, there are also many cheeses out there that could very well break the bank. Casu marzu (perhaps better known as maggot cheese), for example, takes up to three months to ferment, and sells for about $100 per pound. As CNN explains, this cheese is also illegal in many countries because of the whole maggot situation, but that's beside the point.
Rarer cheeses can be even more expensive. According to Cheese.com, one of the priciest cheeses in the world –- Pule cheese -– costs more than $570 per pound. Pule cheese is made from the milk of the endangered Balkan donkey. Because of its scarcity, orders for the cheese are taken in advance, and proceeds go to the Serbian Zasavica Nature Reserve where the donkeys live.
All that being said, we've got some pretty pricey cheeses here in the U.S. as well. While a good pound of Wisconsin cheddar won't set you back nearly as much as a pound of Balkan donkey cheese, it's still far from inexpensive. But how can a type of cheddar cheese be so pricey, when cheddar seems to be everywhere?
Wisconsin cheese charges you for time and effort
Sure, you can get a tasty cheddar cheese at your local grocery store or farmer's market, but it probably won't taste nearly as heavenly as Wisconsin cheese. These cheeses come in several varieties, but you can always count on the aged cheeses to be more flavorful –- and more expensive.
According to Wisconsin State Farmer, Hook's Cheese is preparing to sell a "limited batch" of aged cheddar later this spring. A single pound of this cheddar will cost you $209, as it's been sitting for 20 years. Hook's has sold two batches of 20-year-old cheese previously, in 2015 and 2020, and both batches were fully reserved by hungry customers months before they were actually released.
You can reserve a quarter, half, or full pound of the 20-year-old cheddar on the Hook's Cheese website, but you will be required to pick up your cheese. However, the website also links to stores that can ship your cheese to you if you don't live near Wisconsin. Needless to say, this extra-old cheese would be great for a cheese board.