How I learned to stop worrying and love the Roquefort.

Roquefort Papillon

Ah the Roquefort. The name sounds appealing if you forget about the fact that it's a blue cheese. But when I heard that the French call it the King of Cheeses, I had to give it a try. And this was the ultimate sacrifice in the name of learning, because I'm not really a fan of blue cheese. I've always avoided it in the past without giving it even the slightest of second thoughts. But no one can deny that the French know what they are talking about when it comes to food.

I went to the farmer's market last week with a bit of trepidation. Was I sure I wanted to do this? Was it not better to leave well enough alone? No. I had to face up to the challenge. After all, I may be moving to Paris in a few months, and I feel a certain pressure to know my french cheeses before I get there.

So, my adventure began when I got home from the market with a conservatively sized wedge of Roquefort in my hands. And after taking the time to find it a nice comfy place in my fridge, I did some thorough research. Some people collect stamps for fun, I read about cheese. Well, at least now I do.

This past week I gave my best efforts to this wedge of Roquefort. The smell of it told me that this was going to be an interesting experiment. But I was determined to try it as many ways as possible before coming to any conclusions. I crumbled it on an arugula salad with pears, I mixed it with butter and spread it on a slice of baguette, and of course, I tried it plain. All on it's own. Just me and a chunk of Roquefort. I'm proud to say that the wedge has now been fully consumed, except for a sizable pat of Roquefort butter that remains in my fridge. Since none of it was thrown out, I consider this some kind of success.

And yes, I came to some important conclusions. Plain is best, with a side of sliced pears and a large glass of wine or port. Did I say large glass? Good, that's what I meant. My tastebuds revolted when I ate the baguette, which gave me one bite of Roquefort after another. The salad was good, but the cheese so overpowered the rest of the salad that it seemed to render the salad unnecessary, if a salad can, in fact, be rendered unnecessary. A bite of pear, a bite of Roquefort, a LARGE sip of wine, and it's all good. Well, actually the fun of it is in feeling like I'm giving my tastebuds some serious training, a complete overhaul as a matter of fact. I feel like I'm engaged in some sort of science experiment.

But knowing the story behind Roquefort, has made me want to like it so darn bad. I have to keep reminding myself: "Its supposed to taste like that". And then, like some kind of magic, I can for a moment, convince myself that I actually like it. So I'm going to hold on to that, and after a brief Roquefort hiatus of a week or two or three, I will go back to my farmer's market and ask for it again.
Is that dedication or what.

So here's what I discovered about Roquefort.

Legend has it that a shepherd was sitting in a cave eating a lunch of bread and cheese when he saw a beautiful maiden. He tucked his lunch into a crevice of the cave and followed her. Months later he returned to the cave and discovered his forgotten lunch. For some reason, which shall forever remain a mystery, he ate the cheese, loved it, and Roquefort was born.

I thought that was an awfully good start to a cheese story so I kept digging.

Roquefort is a raw milk, unpasteurized cheese. In 1925 it was one the of the first French cheeses to receive the AOC seal. It is believed to date back as far as 2000 years. So I have convinced myself by now that if people have liked this cheese for 2000 years I can take a few weeks to give it a second chance, right?

The Sheep
Roquefort is made from the milk of a single breed of ewe, known as the red Lacaune. They only give milk from December to July. A genuine Roquefort can be identified by a small image of a red sheep on the label.

The Name
The name Roquefort is only given to cheeses aged in the caves of the Mont Combalou in one village called Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the Aveyron region of France.

The Mold
The mold found in Roquefort is called penicillium roqueforti which occurs naturally in caves. It used to be that the mold was collected by leaving a loaf of bread in the caves and the cheese makers would scrape it off into the milk used to make the cheese. But now the mold is reproduced in laboratories to ensure consistency and is often injected into the cheese.

Food and wine pairings
It is said that Roquefort is suited to figs and pears and full grain breads.
It is complemented by sweet wines such as Sauternes and Port.
It is recommended to leave the cheese out to come to room temperature for at least an hour before consuming.

Roquefort Producers
Currently there are only seven Roquefort producers:
Roquefort Societe, Roquefort Papillon, Carles, Fromageries Occitannes, Gabriel Coullet, Vernieres, Le Vieux Berger

Now if that information doesn't make you at least want to try it, then.. well, I guess I won't really be surprised if it doesn't. But at least you'll know a good cheese story, should the opportunity to tell one ever come up at a party or something of that sort.