Roquefort Cheese

Roquefort cheese: A big, bold blue

Often hailed as the “King of Blue Cheeses,” Roquefort is a bold, tangy, salty blue-veined cheese that brings a sense of adventure to every bite. Traditionally made in the caves of southern France, this sheep’s milk cheese is renowned for its creamy texture and distinctive blue-green mold. Roquefort is a star on any cheese and charcuterie platter, and it brings loads of strong, savory flavor to pastas and salads. Whenever Roquefort cheese is in the room, it’s bound to be surrounded by cheese lovers angling for another taste of this deliciously pungent cheese.

Wisconsin: Roquefort’s home in America

While a cheese can only be called “roquefort” if it hails from the French village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, there are plenty of cheeses today made with the same Penicillium roqueforti mold. This includes a handful of award-winning blue beauties from Wisconsin. Carr Valley’s Cave-Aged Marisa Blue is a mixed milk cheese that gets its complex, sweet, and slightly rambunctious flavor from open-air cave aging. Dunbarton Blue from Roelli Cheese is a potent yet approachable cow’s milk blue that combines the bite and flavor of a patiently aged cheddar with delicious blue veins, thanks to the penicillium roqueforti mold. And Blue Paradise from Hook’s Cheese Company is a double cream blue that combines slightly sweet flavors with pleasant tanginess and an extra creamy texture.

All about roquefort cheese and its Wisconsin cousins

Roquefort is a crumbly, moist, and very creamy blue that melts in your mouth with each bite. A strong, pungent aroma signals its intense and enticing flavor. Milder versions are buttercream smooth with full flavor, while stronger versions have a saltier and sharper taste.

The origins of roquefort cheese

According to folklore, roquefort cheese was first discovered by a shepherd who left his cheese and bread in a cave where he was sheltering. When he returned several days later, the cheese was covered with a blue-green mold that he found to his liking when tasting it. The earliest records of production of roquefort cheese date to 1411, when King Charles VI gave the rights to the aging of Roquefort to a single village in southern France. Roquefort received the first ever appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) status, meaning that authentic roquefort can only be made in the specific region of France using traditional methods. It has been a PDO (protected designation of origin) product since 1996. The seven cheesemakers who produce roquefort make about 17,000 tons of cheese annually.

How it’s made

Roquefort cheese is made from the raw milk of one breed of sheep – the Lacaune in the south of France – and aged in the natural caves of the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Cheesemakers heat the milk and add rennet to produce milk curd within a few hours. Penicillium roqueforti is added to the milk before curling or sprinkled over the curd as it’s being cut and mixed. The cheese is placed in molds and drained of excess whey by turning it 3 to 5 times a day. After sitting in a dry sea salt bath for five days, the cheese is pierced with 40 needles from top to bottom, allowing the Penicillium roqueforti mold to grow during the cheese ripening process. The cheese spends two weeks in the high humidity of the natural caves, then is wrapped in impermeable foil to slow the growth of the mold while allowing the cheese’s creamy texture to develop as the cheese ages three to five months.

Roquefort cheese cutting tips

Cutting roquefort cheese requires a bit of care due to its crumbly, creamy texture and blue veins.

• Use a wire cheese cutter: A wire cheese cutter or sharp, thin knife ensures clean cuts and prevents excessive crumbling of roquefort's delicate texture.
• Cut from the center outward: Cutting from the center outward ensures even distribution of the blue veins and avoids uneven portions of mold and texture.
• Keep it cool: Let roquefort cheese sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before cutting to soften it enough for easy slicing without becoming too warm.
• Handle gently: Roquefort’s fragility requires gentle handling to prevent crumbling.
• Show off the veining: Cut roquefort cheese into small, visually appealing wedges or slices to highlight its blue veins and creamy interior on a cheese board.

What to sip and savor with roquefort and roquefort style cheeses

In the kitchen

Roquefort and other blues are best in dishes that welcome the kick these cheeses bring to every bite. Dips, sauces, and dressings are natural blue cheese favorites. This cheese is perfect with a crusty slice of sourdough or sprinkled over a green salad with walnuts and pears. Fold it into pastas like gnocchi or rigatoni, or mix it into mashed potatoes for a decadent twist. Bits of roquefort cheese mixed with mascarpone and spread over ripe halves of fig is a revelation. Crumbling some roquefort over a beef patty on the grill – or better yet, inside it – will make you wonder why you’d ever make a burger any other way.

What to pour

With roquefort cheese, you’ll want drinks that balance or contrast the cheese’s bold flavors. A sauternes is the classic wine pairing – the sweetness of the wine mellows the cheese’s saltiness. If you prefer red, try a rich bordeaux. Beer lovers can enjoy roquefort with everything from fruit beers and weiss beer to stout, porter, and belgian ales. For spirits, you can’t go wrong with the sweetness of a port or madeira, and tequila reposado or tequila añejo will go down nicely with any roquefort-style cheese.