The birth of Roquefort cheese

1070 Today is traditionally held to be the day that Roquefort cheese was first made, Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France, when a young shepherd, eating his lunch of curds, saw a beautiful girl in the distance.

Abandoning his meal in a nearby cave, he set off to meet her. When he failed to catch her after some days, he returned to his now mouldy lunch and ate it out of pure hunger, but it turned out to be delicious.

However, Roquefort is mentioned in literature as far back as 79, when Pliny the Elder remarked upon its rich flavour. Cheesemaking colanders have been discovered amongst the region's prehistoric relics.

The mould (Penicillium roqueforti) which gives Roquefort its distinctive character is found in the soil of the local caves ...

Categories: history, france, cuisine