When did roquefort cheese become so expensive?

I've recently started to use Peapod for the bulk of my grocery shopping, or at least most of the heavy and bulky stuff. Living on the 14th floor in a building with no parking, in the loop, makes it almost impossible for me to get a trunkful of goodies upstairs. (Sometimes I miss the burbs)

But I do like to actually touch groceries also and recently found myself in Fox and Obel, where their two types of roquefort were priced around $22 and $29 a pound. Sure enough, at Whole Foods a few days later, the same two types of Roquefort, Societe and Carles, were also around 22 and 29.

Does anyone else in the area sell it for less?

Recently I've noticed a Spanish knock-off to Roquefort. They've even created a brand logo and packaging similar to Societe, but price it a lot less. I bought some, and the taste is pretty close, but not as smooth as the actual Roquefort. Sorry I don't remember what it was called, but can cheese exposed to mold in a dark, smelly cave in Spain be really that different from cheese from a French dark smelly cave?

There are relatively few brands of Roquefort cheese, and my guess is the price increase is a concerted effort to raise the price level to a luxury brand.

Rich4 wrote:... but can cheese exposed to mold in a dark, smelly cave in Spain be really that different from cheese from a French dark smelly cave?

And, if I remember correctly, the French caves in question are in southwest France, fairly near Spain... Something else perhaps worth noting here is that the Catalans are especially massive consumers of Roquefort and I recently read somewhere (perhaps in Colman Andrews fine book) that the best Roquefort is -- somewhat mysteriously -- to be had in the small bit of Catalan territory on the French-side of the border (Rousillon and in particular the area's main town, Perpignan). One theory is that they eat so much of the stuff that it's always available there in perfect form. Another, somewhat related theory, is that the high rate of business means the dealers in Perpignan are especially well-connected to producers and get first shot at the best stuff.

I've always thought of Roquefort as a luxury item and rather expensive, so this news of even higher prices is depressing me.

Antonius

Rich4 wrote:but can cheese exposed to mold in a dark, smelly cave in Spain be really that different from cheese from a French dark smelly cave?

But, of course.

Antonius, maybe you don't have any French relatives. After having some of my wife's French relatives as recent house guests, but, of course .

Don't get me wrong. I really do enjoy everything French. But, it's part of the schtick . According to a Frenchman, NOTHING is better than French ANYTHING .

.....I would think restricted EU sales to non-EU countries may have a great deal to do with it, taking into account the weakness of the dollar v. the Euro.

I have absolutely no sense of guilt in buying Maytag cheese anymore - it's dirt cheap by comparison.

Antonius wrote:And, if I remember correctly, the French caves in question are in southwest France, fairly near Spain... Something else perhaps worth noting here is that the Catalans are especially massive consumers of Roquefort and I recently read somewhere (perhaps in Colman Andrews fine book) that the best Roquefort is -- somewhat mysteriously -- to be had in the small bit of Catalan territory on the French-side of the border (Rousillon and in particular the area's main town, Perpignan). One theory is that they eat so much of the stuff that it's always available there in perfect form. Another, somewhat related theory, is that the high rate of business means the dealers in Perpignan are especially well-connected to producers and get first shot at the best stuff.

I believe all cheese called Roquefort must come from the town of Roquefort located in the Department of Aveyron, about 50 mi NW of the city of Montpellier. I actually made the trek years ago as a student and took the tour through the Societe caves. It was cold, rainy, foggy, and then I went into the caves that smelled like sweaty gym socks. Wheels of cheese are punctured with holes and then set on racks inside the caves for 2 weeks to allow for the mold to grow. They claim that the mold growing on the walls of the caves are unique to the town. But the Spanish knock-off sure is close, and Gorgonzola tastes great.

But anything can be called blue, or even bleu.

Rich:

Thanks for the details... Fifty miles from Montpellier is within the "fairly near Spain" category, I think... But, as Al indicates, even if the Spanish knock-off is just as good, the French one is still better ( )...

My basic choice in Blueness has been the greenishness of Gorgonzola, which I love very much but now, as the prices keep going up, buy with decreasing frequency. A couple of weeks ago I bought a slab of Regina Blue from Germany which was ca. $9-10 per pound and was really quite delicious and got the Blue Jones off my back for a bit.

But when all is said and done, I think Roquefort is the best of its sort. Getting back to Evil Ronnie's original post and the question he poses about whether there is anyone in Chicago who sells this cheese for less than the prices he quotes, I wonder if "The Cheese Stands Alone" might (for information, see below). Presumably they should have reasonable turn-over of stock which should also positively affect the quality of the product.

But there must be an importer here who sells to the restaurants and buys in relative bulk. Who is that and do they sell retail at all?

Antonius

The Cheese Stands Alone
4547 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.293.3870

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Hours:
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Sunday 12:00pm to 5:00pm
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$29 is way high, and is for a "super premium" Roquefort. Fox and Obel used to have a Roquefort for $39/lb. I was never convinced the extra cost was worth it. A high price for Roquefort is not unusual. A few years ago, Binny's sold it for about $16/lb. Even then, Fox and Obel was much higher, as they are for most cheeses (although they also have a tremendous selection). Binny's on Grand currently has Roquefort for $19 or $20 per pound. I think general inflation, increased popularity of "fancy" cheese, and the relatively weak dollar all serve to explain the modest, few $/pound increase.


Trader Joe's and Costco both sell Roquefort at a somewhat cheaper price, though I don't recall what it is. Trader Joe's makes little apparent effort to keep their cheeses in very good shape, and I rarely buy stuff there. Costco is actually a pretty good source for Roquefort, the Societe brand.

It may be my imagination, but the overall quality of available Roquefort seems to have slightly diminished, maybe in relation to its growing market. Not that I've found a real replacement, but I don't find it quite as divine on such a regular basis as I once did.

As far as other blues, the Spanish Cabrales (not really comparable to Roquefort) is probably my favorite--a really wonderful cheese.

The main area importers are, I believe, European Imports, Tekla, and Zuercher's. Interestingly, at Avec a couple weeks ago, I found they were unsatisfied with the full collection of cheeses available from these sources, and they get some cheeses from Murray's in New York. Of course, this could be simply a point of differentiation. I did have a fennel and watercress salad with an Italian cheese unfamiliar to me called ubriaco that was quite delightful and appropriate. I really amazingly good meal at Avec all around, actually.

Cheers,

Aaron

[ed. spelling]

Aaron Deacon wrote:I did have a fennel and watercress salad with an Italian cheese unfamiliar to me called ubriaco that was quite delightful and appropriate.

Aaron:

I believe they had ubriaco (literally 'drunk') for sale at the Whole Foods on Huron a couple of weeks ago. I assume this cheese is soaked with some sort of booze...

A

I remember the first time I had a really high end roquefort, at a restaurant called Le Clos de la Violette in Aix-en-Provence-- creamy cheese (possibly rawer than is legal here?), silky grey ash bordering on repulsive (but the greatest art always carries a hint of the shadow of Death, like a consumptive ballerina)... marvelous, swooning, cheese opium. I could see paying anything for such a decadent experience, taking leave of reason and stalking it obsessively and ruining my promising future as a clerk in the Bremershaven civil service if only I could have one more such night of cheese.

Would I pay $39 a lb. to keep it around the house? I wouldn't keep such a thing around the house, any more than I would marry the great Pavlova and expect her to fix potato soup and sweep the floors.

Aaron Deacon wrote:As far as other blues, the Spanich Cabrales (not really comparable to Roquefort) is probably my favorite--a really wonderful cheese.

There are differences - notably milk (Roquefort being sheep; Cabrales being a mix of goat, sheep, and cow) - but I'd say they are somewhat comparable: blue, semi-firm, cave aged, rind that's almost too salty too eat, similar sized foil wrapped wheels, both go really well with powerful red wines or certain sweet wines (sherry or sauternes), crumbling texture, moist, green tinge to the blue ... I'd put them in the same camp of intense, complex, spicy blues.

If you're looking for a closer substitute - or a more French substitute - Bleu des Causses is very similar but it's made with cow's milk instead of sheep's. Beud d'Auvergne is a simpler, less intense cheese that should be available for fewer pennies. If you can find it, Scottish Lanark is reputed to be very similar to Roquefort. I've never had it.

Aaron Deacon wrote:I did have a fennel and watercress salad with an Italian cheese unfamiliar to me called ubriaco that was quite delightful and appropriate. I really amazingly good meal at Avec all around, actually.

I'd be surprised it they couldn't get ubriaco from Tekla or other local importers. I've heard that Tekla is very expensive.

Ubriaco is drunken. It's northern Italian (Veneto), made from raw cow's milk. It's typically aged under pomace from grapes used to make Amarone though I think it is now sometimes washed with wine. The texture is a bit dry, the rind is nice and purple, and it's got a tangy sharpness. You can get it from a number of places around town, often called Ubriaco del Piave, Piave being a river.

Ciao,

rien

Antonius and rien, thanks for the ubriaco info.

As for avec looking for importers beyond Chicago, it is somewhat puzzling to me. I didn't follow up with the guy to whom I was speaking as to whether it was varieties or producers for which they used Murray's (or, again, just doing it to say they bring most of their cheeses in from New York). I didn't recognize ubriaco, but looking at the rest of avec's cheese menu, it's not like the stuff is so cutting edge you can't get it here.

Cheers,

Aaron

In my humble opinion cheese distribution - and, actually, cheese - is still pretty mysterious to even very well informed foodies. There is, in general, a sort of commodity/tautology idea at work: gorgonzola is gorgonzola, roquefort = roquefort, etc. Producers aren't necessarily well known. I think you can see this - though it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy - when you go to the majority of cheese shops and the producer for big name cheeses don't get any billing. The brand is the cheese - Roquefort - not the producer even though some producers (such as Gabriel Coulet, Carles, Le Papillon, etc.) tend to be superior and should/do carry higher price tags. Check the high-priced Roquefort at Fox & Obel and, chances are, it comes from one of the afforementioned producers or one of similar quality. Domestic producers seem to have found a way out of this trap and created viable brands (Coach Farms, Cowgirl Creamery, Grafton, etc). Just an example, but even though the names of the cheeses on Avec's menu are known, they may come from small, exclusive producers, small farms, etc. They may go to a non-local distributor to get a different example of the "same" cheese. I can't say whether this is true or not, but it's a possibility.

Quality is also an issue. Without actually working in the cheese business and seeing literally tons of cheese every month, it's hard to know, for example, if the cheese you bought is a cheese that you don't like or if it is a bad example of a cheese that you would love. It could have been mistreated, it could be poorly made. I've heard, for example, that shipping cheese is easier (and quality more consistent) in cold months because you don't have to worry as much about radical temperature fluxuations. Importing can also create delays with the FDA, customs, etc. Say you're a distributor and you get your 100 pounds of Azeitao and it's been in customs for a while, then it sits in your warehouse for a while. By the time it gets to a consumer, it's well past its prime. I picked this cheese as an example because I was served a particularly bad example of it at Avec. I would have been inclined to say it's just not a cheese that I like. However, I happened to be with a cheese professional that assured me it was just very old and had been mistreated. Avec replaced the cheese and I don't necessarily fault them for this ... though I can't imagine that if they had tried the cheese they would have felt it was something fit to be served. The point is not to abuse Avec - I really like the place - but to bring up a pitfall of offering cheeses, particularly somewhat exotic cheese, at a restaurant. To skirt libel, it may be that they are going with an out of town distributor because they've had quality issues with someone local.

rien

Trader Joe's is $11.99/lb although I agree that their cheese is sometimes hit, but mostly miss.

The Cheese Stands Alone had Papillon Roquefort at $25/lb. as of Sunday afternoon.

In 1998 the US government imposed its first 100% tariff on Roquefort. Importers who were smart enough to stock up were able to delay imposing the price increase - but that only lasted a few months. Roquefort doesn't keep more than that once it arrives in the US.

This tariff was in response to the EU's ban on US Beef. It hasn't gone away.

There are many other items on the retaliatory list -- jams, filled chocolates, canned soups from Germany (!!) etc.

Prices have obviously been further impacted by the out-of-control euro. At $1.38/euro, a cheese that would have cost $12 when there was Euro-dollar parity now costs 16.56 -- to import.

Importers typically add 5-35% on to their price when selling to retailers. And retailers work on a 50% margin. Hence totally outrageous prices on Roquefort Carles at a place like whole foods ($36/lb -- one of the few decent Roqueforts available in the US).

The tariff has hurt the cheesemakers and farmers involved in Roquefort production. They were subsidized for awhile but this hasn't been able to keep prices low enough. Societe, which is owned by one of the largest dairy companies in the world, has managed to keep prices lower than smaller competitors.

RE: Tekla -- Tekla is extremely limited in selection. Ubriaco would not be one of Sophia's products. She imports directly from Chantal Plasse and tends to charge prices very close to retail. Ubriaco would be available from European, who do business with an importer in New York who bring in the bulk of it.

I believe Murray's buys Ubriaco from Guffanti -- a 5th generation cheesemonger in Arona, Italy. Some people prefer it from Guffanti -- although it is all produced in the same place.

Welcome Queijo and thanks for the information.

Very interesting website - I particularly like the cheese-related quotes.[/quote]

Has anyone seen anyone Ubriaco stuff lately? I just heard about it and thought it sounds interesting.

For years now with the high cost of Roquefort and Maytag and other blues, I purchase a 5# wheel of Stella Blue and age it myself for a few months. Becomes more softer in taste and nuttier as it ages. Last wheel was $6/#.-Dick

Maybe someone here can answer a cheese question:

If you don't add the "blue" bacteria to make blue cheese, what do you end up with. Is it equivalent to some other cheese, except for the blue veining?

I just read a note in the latest Cheese Reporter that the US is raising the tariff on Roquefort from 100% to 300%. This because the Frenchies will not eat our hormone laden beef.

This just in: SeriousEats.com is reporting (with a link to a WSJ article):

Stinky cheese lovers, rejoice! While the US had been threatening to impose a 300% tax on Roquefort cheese—in response to the EU’s refusal to import hormone-treated beef—that twice-delayed tariff is now off the table. Roquefort prices should stay safely where they are.