The Cheese Quest

Roquefort, so-called 'King of cheeses' (though the jury is out on that one, there are many cheeses that are considered royalty in France) is one of France's many cheeses that are protected by the AOC guidelines, essentially meaning that it is granted authenticity due to its place of origin.

In other words, Roquefort that was not made in Roquefort is can not be Roquefort!

One of the things that makes the area around Roquefort-sur-Soulzon so special, is that the caves the cheeses are matured in are sustained by the natural collapse of the limestone in the Combalou caves.

These caves have 'faults', so to speak, which are called fleurines.

The fleurines are cracks or fissures that run along the limestone, which provide natural—and ideallic—ventilation for the aging caves, which encourages the penicillum roqueforti, that lushious blue mold, to grow.

Roquefort is made with sheeps milk. During its production it is pricked throughout to give the mold little oxygen highways to grow along.

Typically it is matured from anywhere between 4 and ~20 months. Depending on the age of the cheese you try, it might have a foamy texture due to the flourishing mold, or a gritty one because of the crystalized calcium. The flavour gets stronger and sharper as the months go by.