Roquefort

What is Roquefort?

Roquefort is a famous blue-veined cheese made with unpasteurised ewe's milk and produced in the Aveyron department in southern France.

As you may have guessed, it's my favourite cheese! I've even been to the caves at Roquefort Société for a guided tour. Bewilderingly, it’s only the second most popular cheese in France – the first being Comté!

This cheese is creamy white in colour with distinctive veins of green mould. It’s crumbly and moist and has no rind. The exterior is edible. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3kg and measures approximately 10cm in diameter. It’s rich in fat, protein and minerals such as calcium. It has a strong, salty flavour. Dry red wine is considered an ideal accompaniment.

History

Roquefort is one of the oldest cheeses still in production and was said to be the favourite cheese of Charlemagne. In France, it is affectionately known as “the cheese of kings and popes”. In 79AD, Pliny the Elder commented on its rich flavour.

According to the legend, a young shepherd on the Combalou plateau saw a beautiful woman in the distance. Enamoured, he abandoned his meal of bread and ewe’s cheese in a nearby cave and pursued her. Several days later, he returned to find his food had gone mouldy. Starving, he hesitantly sampled the cheese. “Mais c’est bon!” he cried and Roquefort was born.

A very romantic tale but if you believe that, you'll believe anything! Now for some real history:

• 1411 – King Charles VI liked the cheese so much that he gave the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon a monopoly for maturing the cheese in the local caves.
• 1925 – Roquefort was the first recipient of the Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC).
• 1961 – the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Millau decreed that only cheese matured in the natural cellars of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon is allowed to carry the name of “Roquefort”
• Present day – Roquefort has European recognition with the Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP).

Production

The mould that gives Roquefort its distinctive character is Penicillium roqueforti. It is found in the soil of the local caves. Traditionally, the mould was produced by leaving bread in the caves for six to eight weeks. The bread was then dried to produce a powder. These days, the mould is predominantly cultured in labs for improved uniformity.

Roquefort is made exclusively from the milk of the red Lacaune sheep, which graze throughout the department of Aveyron and in part within the neighbouring departments of Aude, Lozère, Gard, Hérault and Tarn.

Around 4.5 litres of milk are needed to produce 1kg of Roquefort. It’s matured in the caves for four to nine months. The maturation is strictly confined to the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

Presently, there are seven producers of Roquefort cheese:

• Roquefort Société
• Roquefort Papillon
• Gabriel Coulet
• Carles
• Fromageries Occitanes
• Verrières
• Combes (Le Vieux Berger)

Roquefort Société is by far the largest, owning several caves and representing around 60% of production. Their facilities are open to the public via scheduled guided tours.

I highly recommend a visit if you're ever in that region of France and looking for something to do. Be warned though, if you stop for food in the village, virtually every dish is liberally drenched in Roquefort cheese.

Fun fact: I originally wrote this text in French and translated it back to English for this webpage! It was for a presentation I gave at an evening class. J'adore le Roquefort!