The Cheese Caves of Roquefort

Photo credit: fuzyboy/Flickr
Roquefort, known as ‘the king of cheeses‘ is produced in the tiny village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, located amidst the high limestone plateaus of Causse du Larzac, in southern France. Inside dark natural caves, where humidity stays above 90%, unpasteurized, whole ewe's milk is slowly ripened and molded into Roquefort cheese.

Photo credit: AP
The mold used to make Roquefort is Penicillium roqueforti, found in the soil of the caves. It was originally cultured by leaving bread in the caves for six to eight weeks until it was consumed by the mold. The interior of the bread was then dried to produce a powder which was added to cheese curd. Now the spores are grown in laboratory, which allows for greater consistency ensuring that the three million wheels of cheese made each year are uniformly veined.

More: Amusing Planet
Thanks Bruce!

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