Roquefort is one of the world's most celebrated blue cheeses, made exclusively from raw sheep's milk and aged in the natural limestone caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in southern France, where distinctive local air currents and humidity create the precise conditions needed for its characteristic Penicillium roqueforti mould to develop. Protected by French law since 1925 — making it one of the earliest legally protected cheese names in the world — genuine Roquefort must be produced and aged specifically in these caves, giving it a uniquely tangy, salty, sharp flavour and creamy yet crumbly texture that has made it a benchmark against which other blue cheeses are often measured. Nutritionally, Roquefort provides excellent calcium and B12 alongside its distinctive intense flavour, though it carries one of the highest sodium contents of any cheese in this guide. Adjust the slider for your serving size.
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Serving size:30g
111Calories (kcal)
0.6Carbs (g)
6.5Protein (g)
0.0Fibre (g)
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📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
Nutrient
Amount
% Daily value
Level
Calories
369 kcal
18%
Carbohydrates
2.0g
1%
Protein
21.5g
43%
Total fat
31.0g
—
Saturated fat
19.3g
—
GI
0 — Zero
—
Calcium
662mg
66%
Vitamin B12
1.7µg
71%
Phosphorus
392mg
39%
Sodium
1809mg
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Zinc
3.0mg
25%
Vitamin A
294µg
33%
Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
0
Glycaemic IndexLow GIRoquefort has a GI of approximately 0 — effectively zero. As a fermented blue cheese made from sheep's milk with minimal carbohydrate content, both the base fermentation and the Penicillium roqueforti mould culture consume any residual lactose, resulting in no meaningful blood glucose impact.
0 · Low (<55)Medium (56–69)High (70+) · 100
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
Calcium
662mg/100g
66% RDI per 100g
Vitamin B12
1.7µg
71% RDI per 100g
Phosphorus
392mg
39% RDI per 100g
GI
0 — Zero
Negligible carbohydrate
Sodium
1809mg
Among the highest of any cheese
Protein
21.5g/100g
6.5g per 30g serve
✅ Health benefits
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Excellent calcium — 66% of daily needs per 100g
Roquefort provides 662mg of calcium per 100g, reflecting sheep's milk's naturally higher mineral concentration compared to cow's milk. A 30g serve delivers approximately 199mg — close to 20% of the daily requirement from a small, flavour-forward portion.
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Very high vitamin B12 — 71% of daily needs per 100g
Roquefort delivers 1.7µg of B12 per 100g, among the higher concentrations of any cheese in this guide, supporting nerve function and red blood cell formation from a modest everyday serving.
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Strong protein density from sheep's milk and fermentation
At 21.5g of protein per 100g, Roquefort provides substantial complete protein — a 30g serve delivers over 6.4g, reflecting both sheep's milk's naturally higher protein content and the concentrating effect of cheese-making and aging.
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Zero glycaemic impact from its fermented, aged production
With only 2.0g of carbohydrate per 100g and an effective GI of zero, Roquefort fits comfortably into low-carbohydrate eating patterns, providing intense flavour, protein and calcium without any meaningful blood glucose consequence.
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⚠️ Who should limit or avoid
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Extremely high sodium — 1809mg per 100g, among the highest of any common food
Roquefort's sodium content is exceptional even among cheeses — a 30g serve provides approximately 543mg, close to a quarter of the daily recommended limit from a small portion. For people managing hypertension or sodium-sensitive cardiovascular conditions, Roquefort warrants genuine caution and should be used sparingly given how concentrated its sodium content is.
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Significant saturated fat — 19.3g per 100g
A 30g serve of Roquefort provides approximately 5.8g of saturated fat, over a quarter of the daily recommended limit. As with other intensely flavoured blue cheeses, typical serving sizes tend to be small, which helps naturally moderate total intake in practice.
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Pregnancy — traditional Roquefort is made from raw milk and carries a listeria risk
Genuine Roquefort is traditionally made from raw (unpasteurised) sheep's milk under its protected designation rules, meaning it carries a listeria risk that is specifically flagged as unsafe during pregnancy under Australian dietary guidelines. Pregnant women should avoid Roquefort and other raw-milk blue cheeses entirely unless thoroughly cooked until steaming hot — always check current health advice.
✅ For most healthy adults (outside pregnancy), Roquefort used in small, intentional portions — crumbled over salads, melted into sauces, or as part of a cheese board — offers outstanding calcium and B12 alongside its distinctive intense flavour. Its extremely high sodium content is the primary consideration, warranting genuinely mindful portion sizes.
⚕️ General nutritional information only — not a substitute for professional medical or dietary advice.
🛒 How to select & buy roquefort
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Genuine AOP Roquefort vs blue cheese generally
Genuine Roquefort carries French Appellation d'Origine Protégée status, legally restricted to cheese made from raw sheep's milk and aged specifically in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon — look for the AOP seal on imported product. This is one of the strictest and oldest cheese protections in the world, dating to 1925. Generic 'blue cheese' made elsewhere, including Australia, may be excellent but is a genuinely different product without this specific geographic and production heritage.
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Reading quality and freshness signs
Good Roquefort should have well-distributed blue-green veining throughout a pale ivory paste, a moist, slightly crumbly texture, and a pronounced but not overwhelming tangy, salty aroma. Avoid pieces with excessive dryness, hardening at the edges, or an overly ammonia-like smell, which indicates the cheese has been stored too long or improperly.
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Serving and pairing
Roquefort pairs classically with Sauternes or other sweet dessert wines, walnuts, pears and honey — the sweetness balancing its intense saltiness and tang. It's also excellent crumbled into salads, melted into simple pasta sauces, or paired with crusty bread as part of a cheese board, where a small amount delivers substantial flavour impact.
🇦🇺 Australian tip: Genuine imported French Roquefort AOP is available at Australian specialty delicatessens and the premium cheese sections of major supermarkets, typically priced $10-18 per 150-200g depending on import costs, reflecting its status as a genuinely premium specialty product. Melbourne and Sydney's specialty cheese shops and French providores offer the most reliable access to authentic Roquefort. Australian-made blue cheese, produced by several boutique dairies, offers a more affordable alternative, though it represents a genuinely different product from authentic French Roquefort given the specific cave-aging and raw sheep's milk requirements that define the original.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Refrigerator
3-4 weeks (wrapped properly)
Wrap in foil or wax paper, keep away from other foods
Wrap Roquefort in foil or wax paper rather than plastic wrap, which can trap excess moisture and encourage unwanted mould growth beyond the intentional blue veining. Store away from other foods, as its strong aroma transfers easily to nearby items in the fridge.
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Freezer
Up to 6 months (texture becomes more crumbly)
Best suited to cooking applications after thawing
Roquefort can be frozen, though the texture becomes noticeably more crumbly after thawing, making it better suited to cooking applications like sauces and dressings than fresh eating on a cheese board after freezing.
Roquefort's origins are documented as far back as the Roman era, with references to a similar cheese from the region appearing in historical accounts, and by the medieval period it had become well-established enough that Charlemagne is reputed, according to popular historical accounts, to have been an admirer of the cheese during the 8th century CE. A widely told legend attributes Roquefort's distinctive mould to a shepherd who, distracted by a passing woman, abandoned his bread and cheese lunch in a nearby cave, only to return months later to find the abandoned cheese transformed by blue mould into something remarkably delicious — a charming though historically unverifiable origin story typical of many traditional foods. What is well documented is that the specific natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, with their unique air circulation through fissures in the limestone (known locally as 'fleurines'), create precise humidity and temperature conditions essential for the Penicillium roqueforti mould to develop properly, a natural environment that cannot be easily replicated elsewhere, which is precisely why genuine Roquefort's protected designation ties it so specifically to this exact geographic location.
In 1925, Roquefort became one of the first cheeses in the world to receive formal legal protection for its name, predating the broader European Union Protected Designation of Origin framework by decades and establishing an important early legal precedent for geographic food name protection that influenced later regulations for cheeses including Parmigiano-Reggiano and genuine Greek feta. This early protection reflects Roquefort's long-standing prestige and economic importance to its specific region of southern France. In Australia, genuine Roquefort has long been available through specialty delicatessens and better-stocked supermarkets, appreciated by Australian cheese enthusiasts and fine-dining restaurants as one of the benchmark blue cheeses against which other blue cheese styles, including local Australian blue cheese production, are often informally compared, reflecting Roquefort's enduring international reputation as one of the world's most historically significant and highly regarded cheese styles.
Roquefort became one of the first cheeses in the world to receive formal legal name protection, in 1925 — decades before the modern EU protected designation system existed
French law formally protected the name 'Roquefort' in 1925, restricting it specifically to cheese made from raw sheep's milk and aged in the natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon — an early and influential legal precedent for geographic food name protection that predated the European Union's broader Protected Designation of Origin framework by many decades. This early protection reflects just how significant and economically important genuine Roquefort already was to its region by the early 20th century, establishing a legal model that later influenced protections for numerous other geographically significant European foods.
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Roquefort's distinctive mould culture develops specifically because of unique natural air circulation through fissures in the limestone caves where it's aged
The natural caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon contain distinctive geological fissures called 'fleurines', through which air circulates in a way that creates very specific humidity and temperature conditions essential for Penicillium roqueforti mould to develop properly throughout the cheese. This precise natural environment is extremely difficult to replicate artificially, which is a core part of why genuine Roquefort's protected designation ties the cheese so specifically to aging within these exact caves rather than simply requiring the same recipe or mould culture used elsewhere.
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Unlike many blue cheeses made from cow's milk, genuine Roquefort must be made exclusively from raw sheep's milk under its protected designation rules
Roquefort's protected designation specifically requires raw (unpasteurised) sheep's milk, distinguishing it from many other blue cheese styles, including Danish Blue and much commercial blue cheese production, which typically use cow's milk. Sheep's milk's naturally higher fat and protein content contributes to Roquefort's characteristically rich, creamy yet crumbly texture and its notably high calcium content compared to many cow's milk cheeses.
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A popular but historically unverifiable legend attributes Roquefort's discovery to a shepherd who accidentally left his lunch in a cave for several months
A charming, frequently repeated origin story holds that Roquefort was discovered when a young shepherd, distracted by a passing woman, abandoned his bread and ewe's milk cheese lunch in a nearby cave, only to return months later and find the abandoned food transformed by blue mould into a delicious new cheese. While this specific story cannot be historically verified and follows a narrative pattern common to origin legends of several traditional foods worldwide, it reflects the genuine antiquity of Roquefort production in the region, with historical references to cheese from the area dating back to at least the Roman era.
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Roquefort has long served as an informal quality benchmark for Australian blue cheese producers and fine-dining restaurants
Given Roquefort's centuries-long reputation and status as one of the world's most historically significant blue cheeses, it has often served as an informal reference point and quality benchmark within Australia's growing specialty and artisan cheese industry, with Australian blue cheese producers and cheese enthusiasts sometimes describing local products in relation to how they compare with genuine Roquefort's intensity and character, reflecting the cheese's enduring international prestige even within Australia's own distinct and increasingly sophisticated specialty cheese-making tradition.