Roquefort
A blue ewe's milk cheese from southern France
Roquefort is a blue cheese produced in the village of the same name close to Montpellier in southern France.
Made from ewe's milk, it is a strong, salty cheese with blue/green mould produced by natural bacteria present in the stone caves the cheese is ripened in.
The origins of Roquefort cheese are shrouded in legend. The story goes that a shepherd was eating his lunch of bread and cheese, sheltering in one of the natural caves, when he spotted a young lady who caught his fancy and he left his lunch behind in pursuit of her.
Returning to the cave days later, he found his lunch covered in a greenish blue mould. Such was his hunger that he ate it anyway, and found it delicious. And so Roquefort cheese was born.
Click here to add a comment to this entry
More on 'Cheese':
Emmental
Feta
Pecorino
Ricotta
Sage Derby
Stinking Bishop
