This is one of the world’s most famous blue cheeses, even though the mould which makes it so distinctive is actually green. The name Roquefort is taken from the town where it is produced, and its special flavour is obtained by maturing the cheese in the local caves.
This strong association with a particular region led to Roquefort cheese becoming the first product regulated by appellation d’origine contrôlé, a regional designation of origin, which has now mushroomed across the EU to include thousands of products. It was first regulated by French legislation in 1411 and AOC designation followed in 1925. Just as Champagne and Cognac must be produced within the regions that bear their name, anyone eating Roquefort cheese will know exactly where it came from.
Like so much vocabulary, the word found its way into the English language through a translation. In 1745 Daniel Hay translated Louis Lemery’s A treatise of all sorts of foods (published 1702) which states that “All sorts of cheeses are not alike pleasing to the taste, that of Roquefort, Parmesan are for the nicest”
Roquefort is very popular in France, so much so that the French eat most of it themselves. Of the 20,000 tonnes produced a year, only about 20% are exported.
The rest of the world may be missing out not only on the full flavour of Roquefort but also its health benefits. In December 2012 a research project by Cambridge biotech company Lycotec suggested that the cheese has anti-inflammatory properties that guard against heart disease and slow the ageing process. A delicious cheese that improves your health? Surely too good to be true!
