Roquefort Barioux

Roquefort Barioux carries the protected designation of origin (PDO/ Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) for Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the Aveyron region of southern France. This means by European law, only blue cheese aged in the natural Combalou caves of that specific area and made from sheep's milk can be called Roquefort.

Roquefort Barioux is made exclusively from raw sheep's milk, specifically from Lacaune breed sheep. This gives it a distinctive tangy, slightly sweet sharpness that distinguishes it from cow's milk blues like Stilton or Gorgonzola.

Roquefort cheeses are typically aged in the natural limestone caves of Combalou for a minimum of around 90 days, during which they are inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti from bread baked specifically for this purpose. The cave environment gives Roquefort Barioux its signature creamy yet crumbly texture.

If Barioux is unavailable, other PDO-certified Roquefort brands such as Société, Papillon, or Carles offer a similar sheep's milk blue experience. For a non-Roquefort alternative, look for aged sheep's milk blues from Spain like Valdeón or Cabrales, though the flavor profile will differ.