Roquefort PDO

According to folklore, a young shepherd distracted by his sweetheart left his lunch of bread and cheese in a cave around a thousand years ago. He returned a few days later to discover blue-green mould from the cave had penetrated the cheese, and it was rather delicious. Whether the tale is true or not we’ll never know, but by law the cheese must be matured in the limestone caves of the Combalou mountain in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.

Roquefort is made following the soft cheese recipe using raw milk from the Lacaune sheep, a hardy breed that roams the region’s parched, rocky landscape grazing on wild herbs. Penicillium roqueforti can be added to the milk or sprinkled on the curds prior to moulding. The cheeses are not pressed and piercing takes place after two days. Roquefort is matured for at least 90 days with at least two weeks in the Combalou caves.