Roquefort
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A cave-aged sheep's-milk blue — the 'King of Blue Cheeses'.
TasteSalty, intense, and sharp with a moist creaminess. Sheep's milk makes it fattier than a cow's-milk blue, and the finish carries pepper and a faint sweetness. It's among the saltiest of the blues, so start with very little.
TextureMoist and crumbly with dense blue veining. The cheese has no rind at all — it's sold wrapped in foil, and the foil does the rind's job.
Similar cheeses
How it differsThe strongest of the three. It is made only from Lacaune sheep's milk, and that is where the salt and the sharpness come from. Gorgonzola and Stilton are cow's milk and much gentler — gorgonzola dolce is soft enough to spread. Serving this to someone's first blue cheese usually goes badly; start them on dolce.
Pairing
🍷 WineSweet wine (Sauternes)
🍽️ FoodHoney, pear, walnut, steak
How to enjoy
A little at a time with honey, pear and walnut is the classic, and a sweet wine like Sauternes flattens the salt and lifts the sweetness. It crumbles into dressings and steak sauces too — but add it off the heat, since boiling turns it bitter.
What to look for
Look for Roquefort AOP — the name is protected, and only cheese matured at least three months in the Combalou caves may use it. Foil wrapping is normal. Choose a piece with ivory paste and veining spread evenly through it; browning, or liquid pooling in the wrapper, means it is past its best.
Storage
Wrap in foil, put it in a lidded box, and keep it in the crisper drawer — foil holds the smell better than paper does. Keep it away from other food and eat it within three or four weeks.
⏳ Aging3+ months (cave-aged)
Good to know
It can only bear the name if aged in the Combalou caves at Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France. Natural fissures called 'fleurines' run through that rock, holding the airflow and humidity steady on their own — exactly the conditions the mold wants. The milk is fixed too: raw milk from Lacaune ewes.