Nickname given to the ladies who worked in olden times in the production and care of Roquefort cheeses, and who resided in "cabanes" or cabins around the entrance to the underground cellars. Cabanières became the official title of the women working in the cellars, looking after the maturing process, sorting and cutting the cheeses, canning them, folding them, changing their form and content – in general all the attention the cheeses need.
Three cheers for the cabanières – ladies with plenty of character! And there's no masculine equivalent of them – either in the language or in fact. One has to say that the work is repetitive, hard and needing to be done meticulously... so, no comment! ;-)
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