Pule is an extremely rare Serbian cheese made primarily from Balkan donkey milk and is often described as the world’s most expensive cheese, fetching prices around €1,000 per kilogram or higher depending on supply and demand.
Origin and production
Pule is produced at the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Serbia where a small herd of Balkan donkeys is milked by hand; the donkey’s low milk yield and labour‑intensive methods are key reasons for the cheese’s rarity and high cost.
Why so expensive
It takes many litres of donkey milk to make a single kilogram of cheese—reports commonly cite figures around 25 litres per kilogram—combined with the scarcity of milked jennies and careful artisanal processing, which together push the price into the thousands of euros per kilo.
Taste and culinary use
Pule is said to have a crumbly texture and a flavour profile sometimes compared to manchego with nutty and earthy notes, and it is prized by gourmet chefs and collectors who value its novelty, story and limited availability.
Conservation and cultural notes
Beyond gastronomy, producing pule supports conservation of the Balkan donkey population and traditional rural practices in the Zasavica reserve, linking culinary luxury with efforts to maintain a rare local breed and its habitat.
Quick related facts
- Primary milk: Balkan donkey; goat milk sometimes blended.
- Location: Zasavica Special Nature Reserve, Serbia.
- Yield: ~25 L milk per 1 kg cheese.
- Price: around €1,000–€1,300 per kg.