Roquefort AOP | France | Sheep’s Milk | Blue Veined, Cave-Aged

Roquefort is the original heartbreaker. The cheese that made emperors kneel, poets rhapsodise, and children recoil. Made only from raw Lacaune sheep’s milk, veined with wild Penicillium roqueforti, and ripened in the legendary caves of Mont Combalou in southern France—it is salt, fat, mould, and myth in perfect collision. Crumbly, creamy, feral, and electric, Roquefort is not for everyone. But if you give yourself to it, it will never leave you.

Additional Information: Roquefort AOP

• Origin: Aveyron, Occitanie, France

• Milk: Raw sheep’s milk (Lacaune breed only)

• Rind: None – Roquefort has no external rind, the entire surface is edible

• Mould: Penicillium roqueforti, unique to the caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon

• Texture: Moist, crumbly-curdy, with veins of cream and crystal

• Aging: Minimum 90 days in natural limestone caves

• Certification: AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) since 1925

What It Is

Roquefort is one of the world’s oldest and most tightly controlled cheeses. Legend dates it to 1070 CE; AOP protections are among the strictest in Europe. Only seven producers are permitted to make it, all aging in the natural caves of Mont Combalou, where the porous limestone walls maintain perfect humidity and temperature for blue mould to thrive.

Milk must come exclusively from Lacaune ewes grazing in the approved area. No pasteurisation, no shortcuts. The Penicillium roqueforti used for moulding is still cultivated on rye bread, dried, and powdered—never outsourced.

The curds are hand-salted, pierced with stainless steel rods to oxygenate the interior, and aged in the caves for 3–5 months. The result? Raw, salted lightning.

Taste and Texture

• Texture:

  • Open-crumb structure, slightly moist

  • Creamy veins contrast with chalky curd

  • No rind—just blue-veined paste from edge to edge

  • Melts on the tongue but leaves salt and crystal behind

• Flavour:

  • Sheep fat: rich, lanolin-like sweetness and roundness

  • Salt: very high, used for preservation and mould control—balances fat

  • Blue mould: spicy, metallic, earthy, even electric

  • Umami: deep and lasting, with a meaty, broth-like finish

  • Aftertaste: persistent—numbing, tingling, saline, and mouth-watering

These qualities result from lipolysis (breakdown of milk fat by P. roqueforti) and proteolysis (breakdown of casein into glutamate-rich peptides and free amino acids). The blue mould metabolises fat aggressively, giving Roquefort its pungency and that metallic, mineral tang.

Pairing Logic

Roquefort is high in fat, salt, and umami. It needs partners with sweetness, acidity, or bitterness—but never subtlety.

Alcoholic Pairings:

• Sauternes or late-harvest Semillon – benchmark match: sugar vs salt

• Aged Tawny Port or Madeira – oxidative notes echo savoury complexity

• Dry Riesling or Champagne – acid cuts through fat, bubbles refresh

• Marc or Armagnac – ritualistic, regional, rich

Non-Alcoholic Pairings:

• Dark roasted oolong or lapsang souchong – smoke and tannin contrast the cream

• Pear nectar or apple juice – sweet and fleshy against the salt

• Strong kombucha (grape, fig, or herbal) – acid and funk play alongside the mould

• Honey soda or shrub – bright, sweet-sour intensity

Avoid: dry reds, especially tannic ones—they clash violently. Also avoid raw citrus, most vinegar, and heavily spiced condiments.

Serving Suggestions

Serve last on a cheese board—it dominates. Bring to room temperature for at least 1 hour. Slice into shards or spoon into small chunks—don’t cube or flatten. Crumble over:

• Sliced pears or poached quince

• Fresh figs, walnuts, or hazelnuts

• Rye bread with unsalted butter

• Endive, radicchio, or bitter greens

For hot dishes:

• Melt into creamy polenta or mash

• Whisk into a béchamel for blue cheese sauce

• Crumble over roast beetroot, steak, or grilled mushrooms

• Serve on warm toasted sourdough with a drizzle of chestnut honey

Storage

Wrap in foil or cheese paper inside a sealed container. The high moisture and salt content mean it keeps well—but will intensify in aroma. Do not use cling film—it suffocates the mould and creates ammonia.

Shelf life: 2–3 weeks once cut. The flavour strengthens with time. If the surface dries, just trim.

Waste-Conscious Use

• Crumble into scrambled eggs or folded into a cheese omelette

• Blend into blue cheese butter and freeze in portions

• Melt into cream for a pasta sauce with walnuts and sage

• Mix into savoury shortbread dough for a salty biscuit

• Simmer the rind into vegetable broth for depth (yes, even blue)

The Final Word

Roquefort is not just a blue. It’s the blue—the cheese that rewired Europe’s palate for strong, salted dairy. It is an AOP cheese that tastes like geography: sheep and limestone and air and mould. It doesn't care if you like it. It’s already survived centuries without your approval.

But if you’re ready for it, Roquefort will move you. It doesn't seduce. It conquers.