The fat of sheep's milk combined with the almost metallic spicy taste of blue mold gives Roquefort all its aromatic power.
Making the latter a staple of French gastronomy ... Reason enough for Olivier Poels to tell us about the origins of this cheese in the program "Le Marché du midi".
It is one of the three favorite cheeses of the French and yet it is one of the most divisive with its undeniable power in the mouth.
But do you know how he was born?
Olivier Poels disentangles the truth from the false on the origins of this cheese in the program "Le marché de midi" on Europe 1.
Serendipity
"According to legend, a shepherd who watched over his sheep on the rock of Combal, in the Aveyron, was preparing to take his meal. It was made of slices of bread and a piece of fresh sheep cheese" , says Olivier Poels. "And there, he sees a pretty shepherdess passing by whom he wants to follow. For that, he puts his snack in a cave, telling himself that he would get it back later. And then, one thing leading to another, he Obviously follows this shepherdess far enough since he returns a few days later. But, on his return, without much astonishment, the bread and cheese have molded. Regardless, he is so hungry that he eats his sandwich. this moldy cheese and he finds it so delicious that he reproduces it and sells it around his home, with some success."
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Reality
“More objectively, the first traces of Roquefort date back to the 11th century,” explains the chronicler. "There was a tradition at that time around the village of Roquefort which was to harvest sheep's milk and make cheese from it." The secret of this cheese lies in the famous caves of the region, ripening cellars. These were formed naturally in the mountain and contain a unique atmosphere. It is a mixture of humidity and atmosphere that makes the cheeses which pass through these mountains and which stay at least 14 days will acquire this very specific taste. "More than 18,000 tonnes of Roquefort cheese are produced per year. To meet demand, milk is taken from all over the department ofAveyron and not only around the village which gave its name to the cheese. "
Despite everything, Roquefort - which is also the oldest of the cheese-making appellations of origin since it dates from 1925 - wishes to preserve a certain identity and it is therefore necessary to respect certain specifications to obtain the designation. Among the rules to be observed, the milk must only come from Lacaune ewes.