A Tradition Still Holding as Strong as Its Taste: The Delightful Roquefort Cheese

The Delightful Roquefort Cheese
Courtesy of Melanie Dollar

Like the wine making of Ambialet, the production of Roquefort Cheese is a past time favorite. The difference with the cheese is the tradition is still being practiced. Cheese is critical in France. France alone has at least 500 varieties of cheese! Each region is known for its specialty in a specific kind of cheese. The region that Ambialet belongs to is known for its Roquefort cheese. Roquefort cheese has an interesting tradition on how it is made. This cheese requires sheep’s milk and the milk is matured into cheese in local caves between 6-12 months. When the maturing process is complete, it has recognizable characteristics that set it aside from other cheeses. It has a soft white color, some small holes like Swiss cheese with speckled spots consisting of green mold.

What is a meal without cheese?

It’s tradition that cheese is eaten at every meal. The locals here have a saying about a meal without cheese, “A meal without cheese is like a day without sunshine or a kiss without a mustache.” 

[Interviews conducted on 13 November 2010 with Mamie and Christiane]