It's the most expensive cheese in the world, produced by just one farm in Serbia, but donkey cheese could be the next cult¹ food item. 

 

驴奶酪是世界上最昂贵的奶酪，全球仅有塞尔维亚一家农场生产，但其有望成为新一代热捧食品。
 

 

Although incredibly rare, the cheese is being hailed as a health food thanks to its nutritional² value - donkey milk is exceptionally high in protein, calcium³ and omega 3 fatty acids, which in turn are extremely good for maintaining cardiovascular health. 

 

With more and more people claiming to have an intolerance to cow's milk and cheese, the donkey alternative is becoming an increasingly attractive option. 

 

However donkey cheese's hefty price tag means it's unlikely you're going to see it on the shelves of your local Sainsbury's any time soon - the cheese costs 880 per kilo. 

 

Slobodan Simić is the world's only producer of donkey cheese - he does it all on his farm in Zasavica, 50 miles west of the Serbian capital Belgrade. 

 

Despite starting out with just 12 donkeys 16 years ago, Simić's herd⁴ has now grown to nearly 300. The reason the cheese, known as pule, is so expensive is that it takes 25 litres of fresh donkey milk to make a single litre of cheese. 

 

What's more, donkeys produce a lot less milk than cows or goats to start with. 

 

But the difficulty in creating cheese lies in the fact that donkey milk doesn't have enough casein to coagulate - how Simić gets around this is a closely-guarded secret. 

 

Although not many people in the world have tasted the rare cheese, it is said to be similar to Manchego with a rich, nutty, earthy flavour and a crumbly texture⁵.

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