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Roquefort Société is the largest company and the only one among the 16 Roquefort companies that sells abroad. They organize a very interesting visit (2.3 euros) but no photos can be taken. Don't forget that the temperature is always under 8°C in the caves.
Updated Nov 16, 2004
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The city is hilly, clung to the feet of the cliff. As space is limited, the streets are narrow and often, there is not enough space to have a pedestrian sidewalk. Be cautious, trucks of the “Roquefort Société” caves are busy and drive fast ! BTW, there is only one street !
Updated Nov 16, 2004
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Once you have parked your car out of the city (see travel tip), you have to walk up steep mountain streets.
Great panels advertising for visiting the caves are everywhere. It would be difficult to miss a visit !
Updated Nov 16, 2004
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Generally they Roquefort are not sold as 2.5 kg pieces. They can be cut by the middle of the height (10 cm high) giving 1.250 kg ''half cheese'' or cut a second time following a diameter, giving 625 g ''quarter cheese''. Then the tin foils (which are reused for next cheese) are replaced by an aluminum foil with the name of the company, ready for sale.
At Papillon's, the black one is the strongest, with more flavour. The red is smoother and the white one is organic and sold in organic food shops.
Ewe give milk only from January to July while Roquefort is sold all year long. Wrapping of the matured Roquefort cheese in these tin foils allows to adjust production and sale.
Updated May 30, 2004
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The Papillon company processes it's Roquefort the traditionnal way. The day fresh ewe milk is made curdled. After a few hours, it is drained. After draining, it is spread with some of the powder shawn in the flask on the right of the picture.
This powder is prepared in the following way. A few bowls of rye bread are prepared and cooked at very high temperature until the crust is well overdone and nearly burned, while the inside is still uncooked and very wet. These bowls are deposited in the caves. The air brings some spores of the fungus Penicillium roqueforti on the surface of the bread which is an excellent medium for cultivation (see : legend of the Roquefort); Soon, the bread is invaded by Penicillium and is completely blue. After some month, the breads are collected, dried, grind and give what is shawn in the flask. One gram of this green-blue powder contains 25 billions of spores and is enough to inoculate several hundreds liters of curd.
Once the powder is spread on the curd, it is mixed and deposited in moulds 20 cm diameter and 10 cm high and will give a 2.5 kg white cheese. This part of the process is not done in Roquefort but close to the milking area, in the allowed perimeter. At this point only, the cheeses are brought to the Roquefort caves for maturing.
Updated May 30, 2004
The Combalou is the rock that dominates the city of Roquefort. A very long time ago, in the geological times, a part of this mountain collapsed and falled 200 m lower. The ground cracked and many...
Build your own Roquefort-sur-Soulzon page
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