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Roquefort
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Country of origin |  France |
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| Region, town | region surrounding | |||
| Source of milk | Ewe | |||
| Pasteurised | No | |||
| Texture | Semi-hard | |||
| Aging time | 3 months | |||
| Certification | AOC 1925 [1] | |||
Roquefort (pronounced [ʀɔkˈfɔːʀ] in French and in Great Britain, and [ˈrɔʊkfɚt] in the US[2]) is a ewe's-milk blue cheese from the south of France, and together with Bleu d'Auvergne, Stilton and Gorgonzola is one of the world's greatest blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin. Roquefort is sometimes known as the "King of Cheeses", a distinction that is also used for the Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, the French Brie de Meaux & Époisses de Bourgogne, and the English Stilton.[3]
The cheese is white, crumbly and slightly moist, with distinctive veins of blue mold. It has characteristic odor and flavor with a notable taste of butyric acid; the blue veins provide a sharp tang. The overall flavor sensation begins slightly mild, then waxing sweet, then smoky, and fading to a salty finish. It has no rind; the exterior is edible and slightly salty. A typical wheel of Roquefort weighs between 2.5 and 3 kilograms, and is about 10 cm thick. As each kilogram of finished cheese requires about 4.5 litres of milk, Roquefort is high in fat, protein and minerals, notably calcium.
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Legend has it that the cheese was discovered when a young shepherd, eating his lunch of bread and ewes' milk cheese, saw a beautiful girl in the distance. Abandoning his meal in a nearby cave, he ran to meet her. When he returned a few months later, the penicillium roqueforti mold had transformed his plain cheese into roquefort.[4][3]
Roquefort, or similar style cheese, is mentioned in literature as far back as AD 79, when Pliny the Elder remarked upon its rich flavor.[5] In 1411 Charles VI granted a monopoly for the ripening of the cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries.[5] Cheesemaking colanders have been discovered amongst the region's prehistoric relics.
In 1925 the cheese was the recipient of France's first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée when regulations controlling its production and naming were first defined. In 1961, in a landmark ruling that removed imitation, the Tribunal de Grande Instance at Millau decreed that although the method for the manufacture of the cheese could be followed across the south of France, only those whose ripening occurred in the natural caves of Mont Combalou in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon were permitted to bear the name Roquefort.
The mold that gives Roquefort its distinctive character (Penicillium roqueforti) 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. Nowadays the mold can be produced in a laboratory, which allows for greater consistency. The mold may either be added to the curd, or introduced as an aerosol, through holes poked in the rind.
Roquefort is made entirely from the milk of the Lacaune, Manech and Basco-Béarnaise breeds of sheep. Prior to the AOC regulations of 1925 a small amount of cows or goats milk was sometimes added. A total of around 4.5 litres of milk is required to make one kilogram of Roquefort.[5]
The cheese is produced throughout the département of Aveyron and part of the nearby départements of Aude, Lozère, Gard, Hérault and Tarn [1]. This area of France is notable for its limestone geology, which dictates what species of grass and wildflowers grow upon it, and thus influences the taste of the milk.
As of 2003, there are seven Roquefort producers. The largest by far is Roquefort Société made by the Société des Caves de Roquefort (a subsidiary of Lactadis), which holds several caves and opens its facilities to tourists, and accounts for around 60% of all production. Roquefort Papillon is also a well-known brand. The five other producers, each holding only one cave, are Carles, Gabriel Coulet, Fromageries occitanes, Vernières and Le Vieux Berger.
Around three million cheeses were made in 2005 (18,830 tons) making it, after Comté, France's second most popular cheese.[5]
The regulations that govern the production of Roquefort have been laid down over a number of decrees by the INAO. These include: [1]
- All milk use must be delivered at least 20 days after lambing has taken place.
- The addition of rennet must occur within 48 hours of milking.
- The Penicillium roqueforti used in the production must be produced in France from the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
- The salting process must be performed using dry salt.
- The whole process of maturation, cutting, packaging and refrigeration of the cheese must take place in the commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
Roquefort has the highest level of glutamates of any naturally produced food, containing as much as 1280 mg of glutamate per 100 g of cheese.[6]
- ^ a b c AOC Roquefort. INAO.
- ^ http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Roquefort
- ^ a b Something is rotten in Roquefort. Business Week (December 31, 2001).
- ^ Blue-veined Cheeses : The expanding choices. New York Times (June 23, 1982).
- ^ a b c d Masui, Kazuko; Tomoko Yamada (1996). French Cheeses. Dorling Kindersley, p. 178. ISBN 0-7513-0896-X.
- ^ If MSG is so bad for you.... The Observer (July 10, 2005).