Nov 20 2023 5 mins
Covering almost 9,000 km², the southern French department of Aveyron is one of the country's largest. With its limestone plateaus and vertiginous gorges, the area is full of contrasts: just like its iconic cheese, Roquefort. The blue-veined ewe's milk cheese – one of the oldest and most famous in the world – was born in this region. It became France's first cheese with AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) status in 1925. Making Roquefort requires special know-how, from milking the sheep to storing the cheese in cellars. We take a closer look.