Wisconsin Cheesemakers Just Created the World's Longest Cheeseboard

Do you feel like putting together a good cheese board with just a few well-selected cheeses can be a challenge? Then just imagine how difficult it would be to top a 70-foot-long cheese board — with 100 kinds of cheese. Yet, that's exactly what the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board did this year's SXSW — built the world's longest cheeseboard with more than 2,000 pounds of cheese.

The cheeseboard appeared at the #SXSWisconsin Lounge in the JW Marriott in Austin, a large room that was, in fact, too small for the board, which was built to round two of the room's corners. It was topped with "some of Wisconsin's finest cheeses," according to a press release, "from caved-aged cheddars to fresh, squeaky curds" and "hand-rubbed wheels, blue-veined cheddars, [and] stinky Limburger. Like any good cheese board, the world's longest cheeseboard also featured a variety of crackers, fruits, meats, and nuts. And you could wash your cheeses down with a Bloody Mary, or imbibe at a happy hour for the wine and cheese pairing event.

Lest there be any confusion as to why guests were there, the cheese board sat under a giant sign that spelled out "cheese" with lights. Slogans at the event included "size matters," "I like big boards and I cannot lie," "Curdlandia," "party in the pasture," "smell, yeah!" and "cheesy AF."

The 70-foot board was built inside a barn using CNC technology — a computerized process that's a cross between woodcutting and 3-D printing — by Better Block Foundation, a nonprofit that uses urban design to foster community.

If all this talk about cheese has given you a cheddar craving, Food & Wine has you covered. You can learn to build an Instagram worthy cheese board — or a budget-friendly board—and learn what makes a cheese board, well, bad. And if you're feeling particularly adventurous, why not try making your own cheese, such as these delicious and creamy cheese curds.