A guide to Roquefort — the iconic French sheep's-milk blue cheese aged in caves. Its history, flavor, and the best ways to enjoy it.
Roquefort is one of the world's most celebrated cheeses, a bold, briny, blue-veined sheep's-milk cheese with a history stretching back over a thousand years. Often called "the cheese of kings and popes," it remains a benchmark against which other blue cheeses are measured.
A Cheese Born in a Cave
Roquefort comes from the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France, and its identity is inseparable from the limestone caves of Combalou beneath the village. These caves are riddled with natural fissures called fleurines that channel cool, humid air through them, creating the perfect environment for the cheese to ripen and for its blue mold to flourish. By law, all true Roquefort must be aged in these specific caves — one of the strictest origin rules of any cheese.
How Roquefort Is Made
Roquefort is made exclusively from the milk of Lacaune sheep. During production, spores of the mold Penicillium roqueforti are introduced to the curd. The cheese is shaped, salted, and pierced with needles to let air penetrate, encouraging the blue-green veins to spread through the interior as it ages in the caves. Roquefort carries Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status and was, in fact, one of the first cheeses ever to receive such legal protection.
Flavor and Texture
Roquefort is moist, creamy, and crumbly, with a pale ivory paste shot through with blue-green veins. The flavor is intense and complex: tangy, salty, and sharp, with a distinctive richness from the sheep's milk and a lingering, almost metallic blue bite. It's more piquant and salty than many cow's-milk blues, with a melt-in-the-mouth creaminess that softens its power.
How to Use Roquefort
Roquefort shines both raw and cooked. On a cheese board, serve it with walnuts, pears, figs, and crusty bread. Crumbled, it elevates salads — especially with bitter leaves, nuts, and a sweet-sharp vinaigrette — and melts into a luxurious sauce for steak. It's also a natural partner for honey, which tempers its saltiness. A little goes a long way, given its intensity.
Pairings
The classic pairing is Roquefort with Sauternes, the sweet wine from Bordeaux, whose honeyed sweetness balances the cheese's salty bite beautifully. Other sweet wines, port, and bold reds also work well, as do dessert elements like honey and dried fruit.
Storing Roquefort
Wrap Roquefort in foil to protect its moist paste and keep it in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before serving so its aroma and flavor fully open. Because it's a moist cheese, it's best enjoyed within a week or two of buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What milk is Roquefort made from?
Sheep's milk, specifically from Lacaune sheep, which gives it its rich, distinctive character.
Why must Roquefort be aged in caves?
The natural caves of Combalou provide the unique cool, humid, airflow conditions required for the cheese and its mold to develop. By law, true Roquefort must be aged there.
Is Roquefort saltier than other blue cheeses?
Generally yes. Roquefort is known for being notably salty and piquant, which is why sweet pairings like Sauternes and honey work so well with it.