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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from France, southern Massif Central

Roquefort

Raw, whole ewe milk is set with rennet at 28–34 °C and seeded with Penicillium roqueforti grown from strains first isolated in the Roquefort caves. The curd drains without pressing, is dry-salted and pierced, then sits bare for at least two weeks in the Combalou caves before it is wrapped and matured to at least 90 days. Made in 7 steps over 3.5 months. The longest step, wrap and mature slowly, takes at least 3 months (INAO 2025) and runs at at least -5 °C (INAO 2025). Penicillium roqueforti (blue veins), from strains isolated in the Roquefort caves does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsSet[inao-cdc]Wrap and mature slowly
Temperatureat least -5 °CSet[inao-cdc]Wrap and mature slowly

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification fixes ingredients and steps but gives no amounts.
Raw whole ewe milk · Not standardised; from two full milkings a day, at least 20 days after lambing[inao-cdc]
Rennet · The only coagulant allowed[inao-cdc]
Penicillium roqueforti · Powders or cultures made from traditional strains isolated in the Roquefort caves[inao-cdc]
Dry salt[inao-cdc]
Harmless cultures of bacteria, yeasts and moulds · Allowed, including an optional surface flora[inao-cdc]
Starter: Penicillium roqueforti from cave strains, plus allowed bacterial, yeast and mould cultures

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.5 months

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
up to 10 °C

What changes: Starting material: raw, whole ewe milk from two milkings a day

Step 1 of 7
Collect raw ewe milk
Time
up to 24 h
Set
Temperature
up to 10 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Penicillium roqueforti
Moulds

Output: whole raw ewe milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

raw-milk flora; the milk is only filtered, never heat-treated

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Roquefort is the only blue made from raw ewe milk that must ripen in the Combalou caves, where air from rock faults keeps them cool and damp. Its mould comes from cave strains, and it is wrapped only after at least two weeks bare in the caves. Stilton uses pasteurised cow milk and milled curd.

Milk
Raw, whole ewe milk from two milkings a day, stored on the farm for up to 24 h at 10 °C or less
Setting
Rennet at 28–34 °C, within 48 h of the oldest milking
Piercing
Pierced at most 2 days before the cheese enters the cave
Ripening
At least 90 days from making, with at least 2 weeks bare in the Combalou caves ventilated by the fleurines
Size
2.5–3 kg, 19–20 cm across, 8.5–11.5 cm high; fat in dry matter at least 52 %; dry matter at least 55 %

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is raw. The NHS lists soft blue-veined cheeses such as Roquefort among foods to cook until steaming hot in pregnancy because of Listeria.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes; the NHS advises pregnant women to eat soft blue cheeses such as Roquefort only when cooked until steaming hot.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [inao-cdc] INAO, Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine protégée « Roquefort », national opposition draft of 19 Nov 2025spec
  2. [besancon1992] Besançon X., Smet C., Chabalier C., Rivemale M., Reverbel J.P., Ratomahenina R., Galzy P. 1992, Study of surface yeast flora of Roquefort cheese, International Journal of Food Microbiology 17(1):9–18, doi:10.1016/0168-1605(92)90014-T (abstract)paper
  3. [nhs-preg] NHS (UK), Foods to avoid in pregnancy (cheese section)gov