Roquefort

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Roquefort (or 罗克福干酪) is a globally renowned artisanal blue-veined sheep's milk cheese originating from southern France, widely recognized as one of the three major classic blue cheeses alongside Italy's Gorgonzola and the UK's Stilton. It is subject to some of the oldest and strictest geographical origin production rules in the world, which restrict all legitimate production to the natural limestone caves surrounding the small town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the Aveyron department.

Key moments

79 CEAncient Roman author Pliny the Elder documented the local sheep blue cheese that is now identified as an early antecedent of modern Roquefort
1411French King Charles VI issued a royal charter granting exclusive production rights for the local cheese to residents of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon
1925Roquefort became one of the very first products in France to receive formal Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) protected status
20th CenturyThe European Union extended its legal protection as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) specialty across all EU member states

Unmatched Cultural Heritage Status

Roquefort is a core symbol of French rural culinary heritage rather than a mass-produced consumer good. The Penicillium roqueforti mold that creates its signature blue marbling is named after the cheese, and it has become the standard starter strain used for blue cheese production all over the world. The mandatory cave aging rule has also preserved the unique micro-ecosystem of the local Combalou karst caves as a protected natural cultural asset.

Foundational Precedent for Global Geographical Indication Systems

Roquefort's 600+ years of formal exclusive production rules laid critical early groundwork for the modern international geographical indication framework that now protects thousands of region-specific specialty products, ranging from wines to artisanal craft goods. As of 2026, only 7 legally approved producers are permitted to make authentic Roquefort, a restriction that preserves its small-batch artisanal character even amid fast growing global gourmet food demand.

Distinct Sensory and Culinary Characteristics

Authentic Roquefort is made exclusively from unprocessed full-fat milk of the local Lacaune sheep breed, with no pasteurization required under the AOC rules. It has a uniquely moist, crumbly texture with layered flavor notes of sharp salt, subtle smoke, and faint underlying sweetness. It is traditionally paired with crusty fresh baguette, ripe pears, walnuts, or dry fortified wines to balance its bold, rich umami profile.

History

According to legend, Roquefort cheese was discovered when a youth, eating his lunch of bread and ewes' milk cheese, saw a beautiful girl in the distance. Abandoning his meal in a nearby cave, he ran to meet her. When he returned a few months later, the mold (Penicillium roqueforti) had transformed his plain cheese into Roquefort.[2][3]

In 79 AD, Pliny the Elder praised the cheeses of Lozère and Gévaudan and reported their popularity in ancient Rome; in 1737, Jean Astruc suggested that this was a reference to an ancestor of Roquefort.[4] The theory was widely taken up, and by the 1860s was being promoted by the Société des Caves.[5] Others have dismissed the idea, on the grounds that Pliny does not clearly identify a blue cheese.[6] There is no clear consensus on the meaning of Pliny's description—it has been variously interpreted as a reference to fromage frais, cheese pickled in grape-juice, and even fondue,[7] as well as a reference to Roquefort.

By the middle ages, Roquefort had become a recognized cheese. On 4 June 1411, Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of the cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.[8][9]

By 1820, Roquefort was producing 300 tonnes a year, a figure that steadily increased throughout the next century so that by 1914 it was 9,250.[10]

In 1925, the cheese was the recipient of France's first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée when regulations controlling its production and naming were first defined.[11] In 1961, in a landmark ruling that removed imitation, the Tribunal de Grande Instance at Millau decreed that, although the method for the manufacture of the cheese could be followed across the south of France, only those cheeses whose ripening occurred in the natural caves of Mont Combalou in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon were permitted to bear the name Roquefort.[12]

Production

Roquefort is made entirely from the milk of the Lacaune breed of sheep. Prior to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) regulations of 1925, a small amount of cow's or goat's milk was sometimes added. Around 4.5 L of milk is required to make one kilogram of Roquefort.[8]

Roquefort is produced throughout the département of Aveyron and part of the nearby départements of Aude, Lozère, Gard, Hérault and Tarn.[13] As of 2009, there are seven Roquefort producers. The largest-volume brand by far is Roquefort Société made by the Société des Caves de Roquefort,[14] since 1990 a subsidiary of Lactalis.[15] Other producers are Papillon, Carles, Gabriel Coulet, Fromageries occitanes, Vernières and Le Vieux Berger.

Health benefits

Penicillium roqueforti does not produce penicillin.[18] However, due to the presence of other anti-inflammatory proteins, it was common in country districts for shepherds to apply this cheese to wounds to avoid gangrene.[19]

The presence of anti-inflammatory compounds was confirmed by a 2012 study.[20] A study from 2013 found that proteins from Roquefort cheese inhibit chlamydia propagation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leukocyte migration.[21]

References

Tom Hughes, Meredith Sayles Hughes. Gastronomie!: Food Museums and Heritage Sites of France Bunker Hill Publishing, 2005^

Something is rotten in Roquefort Business Week, 31 December 2001^

Florence Fabricant. Blue-veined Cheeses : The expanding choices New York Times, 23 June 1982, retrieved 22 May 2010^