Roquefort is a flavorful ewe's-milk blue cheese from the south of France, and one of the most famous of all French cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it has a Protected DOC.
The cheese is white, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of blue mold. It has characteristic odor and the blue veins provide a sharp tang. It has no rind; and the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3 kilograms, and is about 10cm thick. As each kilogram of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk, Roquefort is high in fat, protein and minerals such as calcium.
The mold which gives Roquefort its distinctive character is found in the soil of the local caves. Traditionally the cheesemakers extracted it by leaving bread in the caves for six to eight weeks until it was consumed by the mold. The interior of the bread was then dried to produce a powder.
Roquefort is made from the Lacaune breed's milk.
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