Roquefort
Flavour Profile
Sharp, tangy, and intensely salty, with a creamy, crumbly texture and deep blue-green veins.
Made from sheep's milk, so it has a richness and complexity that cow's milk blues can't match. The finish is long and almost meaty.
Health Benefits
High in calcium and protein, but also high in salt and fat. A little goes a long way.
Sheep's milk is higher in fat-soluble vitamins than cow's milk, and Roquefort's mould produces compounds being studied for possible anti-inflammatory effects.
Buying Tips
Real Roquefort AOP is made only from raw sheep's milk and aged in the Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France.
Look for the red sheep stamp on the foil wrapper. Anything else calling itself Roquefort isn't the real thing.
Storage
Keep wrapped in foil (the original kind) in the fridge. The foil prevents the mould from spreading and the cheese from drying out.
Doesn't freeze well. Use within a couple of weeks of opening.
Cooking Uses
Crumble it onto salads, melt it into a cream sauce for steak, or eat it as is with a glass of Sauternes.
Classic pairing is Roquefort with walnuts, pears, and honey. Try it on a burger if you want a serious upgrade.
Forkin Food Theory
Roquefort is aged exclusively in the natural caves of Combalou, where airflow comes through fissures called "fleurines".
These fissures keep the caves at a constant 8 to 12°C with around 95 percent humidity — perfect conditions for the Penicillium roqueforti mould.
The French government has actually protected the caves themselves as part of the AOP. The geography is part of the recipe.
Wild & Wonderful
Roquefort was the first cheese to receive AOC protection in France, back in 1925.
Legend has it that a shepherd, distracted by a pretty girl, left his bread and cheese in a cave. He returned weeks later to find the cheese had moulded — and tasted incredible. The girl is, sadly, not part of the recipe.
It was a favourite of Charlemagne, who supposedly demanded two cartloads of it be sent to his court every year.