Roquefort is one of the oldest French cheeses and has been revered for centuries, often called “the cheese of kings and popes” by French people.

Legend has it that over a thousand years ago, a young shepherd from Auvergne was mending his sheep in the middle of summer, when he became distracted by a young French woman who was walking nearby. Reorganising his priorities, our young shepherd left his frugal lunch of bread and fresh cheese in the cave he took refuge in. 

When he returned days later, he found his loaf of bread mouldy and the cheese transformed by the same blue-green mould. Out of sheer hunger, he rejected the bread but decided to eat the transformed cheese and discovered that the mould had created a flavour unlike anything he had tasted before. 

We love adding the phrase he might have pronounced, even only for himself “Mon dieu, sacrebleu, c’est délicieux”!

Of course, we can prove this to you...

But whether this legend is fact or folklore, it should definitely captures your imagination and adds a certain ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ to this very special cheese that is Roquefort!

What we can prove today though is that by law, this cheese must be matured in the limestone caves of the Combalou mountain in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, ensuring its authenticity and unique qualities.

In that cave, Roquefort producers are known to bring loaves of rye bread which they know will turn blue within 3 weeks time. 

The limestone caves of Combalou’s cool, humid atmosphere creates the perfect conditions for the growth of Penicillium roqueforti, contributing to the cheese’s blue veins and distinct flavour. This natural maturing process cannot be replicated elsewhere, making Roquefort unique.

Until 1925, the appellation system that protects products from pale imitations did not exist. 

Before appellations, there were traditions but no enforceable rules. 

Appellations with the force of law now protect all sorts of products, but Roquefort was the first product to win that protection.

Even the French wine industry did not embrace appellations until 1936. 

You can purchase Roquefort AOC by clicking here