The world’s most expensive cheese is made in Serbia

Slobodan Simic, the manager of the Zasavica Nature Reserve where this donkey milk delicacy known locally as Pule cheese is produced, spoke to Nova.rs about what makes this delicacy so special, the secrets behind its production, its health and beauty benefits, and exactly who can afford it.

“Robert Hardman, the biographer for the British Royal Family, was the first international VIP to try our donkey cheese. He was thrilled, and he’s tried everything in the world, and he ended up writing a feature on it. Later, we sent the cheese to the then-Prince Charles and Camilla,” said Simic.

A price tag of over €1,000 per kilogram

Simic explained why this cheese carries such a staggering price tag, surpassing even the finest French and Swiss varieties.

“Donkey cheese from Zasavica is indeed the most expensive in the world, costing €1,000 per kilogram. This is because donkeys produce very little milk throughout the year, and you need a massive amount of it to make just one kilo of cheese. That’s why it’s mostly reserved for the ultra-wealthy. Our customers are primarily foreigners, ambassadors. On one occasion, a presidential candidate from Ukraine bought our entire stock. Our biggest single sale was to a Singaporean tycoon who bought 12 kilograms,” Simic recalls.

The project began over two decades ago. Inspired by the 2,000-year-old story of the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem, Slobodan bought a few donkeys. As the herd grew, he established a farm and eventually decided to try his hand at cheese-making.

A closely guarded secret recipe

“I realized that no one in the world had ever made cheese from donkey milk - because it was thought to be impossible. Donkey milk has only 0.5 percent milk fat, similar to human milk. Other types, like cow’s milk, range from 3.8 percent to 4.5 percent, while buffalo milk can reach 6 percent. The problem is that cheese is made from fat, not water, and donkey milk has almost none. I hired various experts who tried to make it, but nothing worked. Then came the breakthrough - one of our technologists succeeded using a lot of research, a small amount of goat milk, and certain additives,” Slobodan says. He notes that the secret recipe has never been shared.

This air of mystery is part of why the whole world wanted to know more about the cheese being made in a small Balkan country and nowhere else.

“The donkey milk used for the cheese is exceptional for lung health, so there was a massive surge in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s particularly good for small children, for general recovery, and for those recuperating from serious illness because drinking it is effectively like returning to mother’s milk. Since our farm was established, several doctoral dissertations and scientific papers have confirmed its healing properties. It’s also easily tolerated because it’s so lean, unlike cow’s milk which can be heavy due to lactose,” says Slobodan. He adds that donkey milk creams and soaps are excellent for skin rejuvenation, a beauty secret famously known by Cleopatra.

The taste of rarity and luxury

Simic notes that donkey cheese remains a global phenomenon.

“Many are still trying to make it, but they haven’t succeeded. It remains the rarest and most expensive cheese in the world. We only produce about ten kilograms a year. It takes 25 liters of donkey milk to make one kilogram of cheese; for standard cheese, you only need four or five liters. It’s a painstaking process, the animals are milked in small amounts three times a day, and you need a huge volume for the cheese.”

So, what do the customers say? What does it actually taste like?

“It doesn’t have a sharp, overpowering flavor that lingers like a truffle, for example. It is simply pleasant, with a slight sweetness. It is served by the gram. It is the taste of rarity and luxury,” Simic explained.