The Legend of Roquefort Cheese
Roquefort is considered one of the best cheeses of France. It is called “le fromage des rois et des papes” or “the cheese of kings and popes.”
The Legend of Roquefort…
A story is told of shepherd who left his bread and cheese in a cave and followed a pretty girl who had caught his eye! Unable to catch up with the girl he returned to the hillside days later and discovered his cheese covered in a blue mould. Hunger overcame him and he tasted the first ever Roquefort cheese!
More about the Cheese…
Roquefort cheese is produced from sheep’s milk in the South of France, it is then allowed to age in the Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, hence the name. The Commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon is situated in the Aveyron Department of the Midi Pyrenees.
The cheese is white, tangy, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of green mould. It has characteristic odour and flavour with a notable taste of butyric acid; the green veins provide a sharp tang. The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then waxes sweet, then smoky, and fades to a salty finish. It has no rind; the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3 kilograms, and is about 10 cm thick. Each kilogram of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk.
The mold that gives Roquefort its distinctive character (Penicillium roqueforti) is found in the soil of the local caves. Traditionally the cheesemakers extracted it by leaving bread in the caves for six to eight weeks until it was consumed by the mold. The interior of the bread was then dried to produce a powder. Nowadays the mold can be produced in a laboratory, which allows for greater consistency. The mold may either be added to the curd, or introduced as an aerosol, through holes poked in the rind.
The cheese is produced throughout the department of Aveyron and part of the nearby departments of Aude, Lozère, Gard, Hérault and Tarn.
Regulations for the production of Roquefort Cheese is as follows…
1. All milk used must be delivered at least 20 days after lambing has taken place.
2. The sheep must be on pasture, in an area including most of Aveyron and parts of neighboring departments. 3/4 of any grain or fodder fed must come from the area.
3. The milk must be whole, raw (not heated above 34 °C), and unfiltered except to remove macroscopic particles.
4. The addition of rennet must occur within 48 hours of milking.
5. The Penicillium roqueforti used in the production must be produced in France from the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
6. The salting process must be performed using dry salt.
7. The whole process of maturation, cutting, packaging and refrigeration of the cheese must take place in the commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
Roquefort Cheese is popular worldwide and is now widely imitated. It’s well worth trying – but make sure you get the original from South of France!