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Roquefort Cheese is a blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk curdled with Calf Rennet. The breed of sheep that the milk is taken from is called "Lacaune".
The wheels are 8 inches wide by 3 to 4 inches (7.5 x 10 cm) tall, and weigh 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 pounds (2.5 to 3 kg). Holes are pierced into the wheels to let air into them. At 10 days of age, the wheels are placed to mature on wood shelves in limestone caves inside the Combalou mountains in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France. The underground caves occupy an area twice the size of the actual village of Rocquefort. The caves have holes and cracks that allow air into them: into these air passageways are placed loaves of rye bread inoculated with the "Penicillium roqueforti" mould. As the loaves moulder away, spores are released into the air, which air currents carry into the caves and onto the cheeses. Mould actually grows off the cheese in beards while the cheese is ripening, The "beards" are clipped off from time to time.
Roquefort is aged and ripened in these caves for a minimum of 3 months. After 1 month, the cheese is wrapped in tinfoil to slow down the aging to give the mould more time to grow.
The cheese does not develop a rind. The surface does turn orangey, though. Inside, the cheese is ivory with blue-green veins.
The bacteria, Penicillium roqueforti, originally occurred naturally in these same caves in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France. The caves have of course been greatly enlarged by man to hold more cheese to meet the world demand.
Roquefort is big business. Seven million Roquefort cheeses are made a year (2004 figures). Only seven manufacturers are allowed to make it, the largest of which is called "Société des Caves".
Within the Roquefort cheese brand, there are some that are sharper -- such as the one called "1863", and some that are milder, such as "Baragnaudes".
This is now a European PDO cheese.
Equivalents
1 cup, crumbled = 1/4 pound = 115g
History
Without too much effort, Roquefort enthusiasts date the cheese back to 1070 AD. On a good day, they'll even drag in the Romans and poor old Pliny to date the cheese back another thousand years. What we do know for sure is that Charles VI gave sole rights to the village in 1411 for aging the cheese in their caves.
Roquefort was the first cheese to receive an AOC designation in 1925‡, forcing what is now Bleu d'Causses Cheese to be renamed. Part of the AOC conditions state that milk used for Roquefort cheese needs to come from that local area, but as there isn't anywhere near enough sheep's milk from nearby to meet the demand, producers basically ignore that part of their AOC protection (i.e. their obligations in exchange for their monopoly), and buy sheep's milk elsewhere and bring it in. The industry does, though, dictate how the sheep from which the milk is procured are bred and fed.
‡ Technically, Roquefort didn't receive an AOC in 1925, as the AOC system wasn't created until 1935. What it got was protection from a law passed 26 July 1925, reconfirming the rights that Charles VI had given. The law was extended to other products and named AOC in 1935.
Also called:  Roquefort (French)
See Also
Appellation of Controlled Origin, Bleu d'Causses, Guler Cheese, Protected Designation of Origin
Other entries for Blue Cheeses
Beenleigh Blue Cheese, Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu d'Causses, Bleu de Basque, Bleu de Gex, Bleu de Termignon, Blue Wensleydale, Buffalo Blue Cheese, Byland Blue Cheese, Cabrales Blue Cheese, Cambozola Cheese, Canterbury Blue Cheese, Caradon Blue Cheese, Cashel Blue Cheese, Cornish Blue Cheese, Crème de Saint Agur Cheese, Danish Blue Cheese, Devon Blue Cheese, Dorset Blue Vinney, Dunsyre Blue Cheese, Exmoor Blue Cheese, Fourme d'Ambert Cheese, Fourme de Montbrison Cheese, Gorgonzola Cheese, Guler Cheese, Harbourne Blue Cheese, Lanark Blue Cheese, Maytag Blue Cheese, Mrs Bells Blue Cheese, Oxford Blue Cheese, Penicillium Glaucum, Penicillium Roqueforti, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Roquefort Cheese, Saint Agur Cheese, Shropshire Blue, Somerset Blue Cheese, Stilton, Strathdon Blue Cheese, Troo Bloo You Cheese, Valdeón Cheese
Other entries for Semi-Firm Cheeses
Appenzeller Cheese (Quarter Fat), Ardrahan Cheese, Asadero Cheese, Botton Cheese, Brunost Cheese, Caerphilly Cheese, Cantal Cheese, Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheese, Cheshire Cheese, Chèvre, Chihuahua Cheese, Cotherstone Cheese, Criollo Cheese, Danbo Cheese, Danish Fontina Cheese, Edam Cheese, Farmer's Cheese, Fontal Cheese, Gaperon Cheese, Grimbister Cheese, Jalapeño Cheese, Leerdammer Cheese, Liederkranz Cheese, Livarot Cheese, Maasdam Cheese, Manchego Cheese (Mexican), Monterey Jack Cheese, Morbier Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Pavé d'Auge Cheese, Pavé d'Isigny Cheese, Pavé de Berry Cheese, Penyston Cheese, Quartirolo Cheese, Queso con Loroco, Ricotta Salata Cheese, Tetilla Cheese, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Wensleydale Cheese
Other entries for Cheese
Affinage, American Cheeses, Casu Marzu, Cheese Rinds, Creamery, Double/Triple-Cream Cheese, Extra-Hard Cheeses, Firm Cheeses, Goat's Milk Cheeses, Mexican Cheeses, Pate (of a Cheese), Processed Cheese, Queso Fundido, Rennet, Sheep's Milk Cheeses, Skim-Milk Cheeses, Smear-Ripened Cheeses, Soft Cheeses, Surface-Ripened Cheeses, Sweet Curd Cheeses, The Crumblies, Truckle, Washed-Curd Cheeses, Washed-Rind Cheeses, Yak Cheese, Yeel Cheese
Other entries for Dairy
Butterfat, Butter, Milk, Nondairy Topping
Related Recipes
Auld Alliance Cheese Spread, Auld Alliance Cheese Spread
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