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The most dangerous cheese in the world, casu marzu is an Italian delicacy defined by its illegal status and the maggots that infest it.

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• The most dangerous cheese in the world, casu marzu is an Italian delicacy defined by its illegal status and the maggots that infest it.
• You can’t buy casu marzu in the US (the legality of the cheese is a matter of contention in the EU, which means it can’t be exported for purchase here). It used to be that if you were dying to try a cheese created by living critters, you could get a hunk of Mimolette, but as of October 2013 the US FDA started banning the import of Mimolette.
• Casu marzu is a controversial Italian sheep’s milk cheese originating from Sardinia. The cheese is derived from the Pecorino family of cheeses and has a soft-ripened texture with a natural rind. In English, casu marzu means rotten cheese, referring to live insect larvae (maggots) which can be found in it.

You’re going on a trip to Italy. You’re planning on taking advantage of the famously delicious cuisine by locating the best gelato, pizza, and wine around.

However, clearly, you haven’t done your research because the most authentic, delectable, delicacy is actually casu marzu, a highly specific type of cheese. Or, if you want to be all ‘American’ about it, you can simply call it maggot cheese.

Casu marzu comes from the charming Italian island of Sardinia, located in the Mediterranian Sea. The cheese is made from sheep’s milk. Casu marzu takes some time to make (What kind of quality cheese doesn’t?), but the process itself is easy. When it’s finished, a casu marzu cheese should roughly contain thousands of maggots.

Steps are as follows:

First, the sheep’s milk is heated. Then it is given about three weeks to sit so that it can curdle.

Next, the crust is cut off. This makes it inviting for flies to enter, who then lay their eggs.

Afterwards, the cheese is left in a dark hut for two or three months. During that time the eggs hatch into larvae and promptly begin to eat the now rotting cheese.

The excretions that pass through their bodies are essential, as they are what gives the cheese its distinct soft texture and rich flavor.

And (as the Italians say) Presto! You have your casu marzu. The best comparison that can be made is to the taste of a very ripe gorgonzola cheese. Though, what you’re actually tasting is larvae excrement.

Now, if this bizarre delicacy sounds absolutely amazing to you and you’ve decided that you must have it for the Italian experience, we’ve got some bad news for you. It is extremely difficult to get your hands on the elusive and maggot infested cheese.

Due to (what may be thought of as obvious) health implications, the sticklers at the EU European Food Safety Authority have banned the cheese. Therefore, those wishing to eat some casu marzu must go through the Italian black market.

Wikimedia CommonsSardinia, Italy.

Consider it another step towards a truly authentic Italian experience. Sure, any tourist can mindlessly indulge in a cannoli. But to track down an expensive, illegal, maggot infested cheese via the black market. Now that’s rewarding.

Once the casu marzu is acquired, there are a few tips on the correct way to eat it:

It is important for one to note whether the maggots are alive or not. Dead maggots are usually an indication that the cheese has gone bad. Thus, casu marzu is to be consumed when the maggots are still alive.

When eating the cheese, one is meant to close their eyes. It’s not to avoid looking at the maggots as you eat them but to protect your eyes from them. When bothered, the maggots will jump up, sometimes going as high as six inches.

Next tip, it is imperative for one to properly chew and kill the maggots before swallowing. Otherwise, they can live in the body and rip holes through the intestines. No biggie. But kind of a biggie.

The next step is less of a safety precaution and more of a way to just enhance the culinary experience. It’s advised to enjoy the casu marzu with a moistened flatbread. It also pairs well with a glass of strong red wine. Potentially because the two go well together, possibly because of the added liquid courage.

Sure, casu marzu may come with some caveats. It’s dangerous, illegal, and if you’re on the uncultured side of things, maybe think it’s a bit gross.

But it’s not highly saught after for nothing. Sardianians claim the cheese is an aphrodisiac, enjoying it at weddings and other celebrations.

And if the saying that the stinkier, the better is true, than the more live maggots, the better takes cheese standards to a whole new level.

Buy Casu Marzu

Now check out the history behind your favorite Italian foods. Then, learn about how scientists turned human waste into food.

Casu Marzu Images

Casu martzu^[1] (Sardinian pronunciation: [ˈkazu ˈmaɾtsu]; literally 'rotten/putrid cheese'), sometimes spelled casu marzu, and also called casu modde, casu cundídu and casu fràzigu in Sardinian, is a traditional Sardiniansheep milk cheese that contains live insect larvae (maggots). A variation of the cheese, casgiu merzu,^[2] is also produced in some Southern Corsican villages like Sartene.^[3]

Derived from pecorino, casu martzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage of decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly of the Piophilidae family. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called làgrima, Sardinian for 'teardrop') seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, roughly 8 mm (0.3 in) long.^[4]

Fermentation[edit]

Casu martzu is created by leaving whole pecorino cheeses outside with part of the rind removed to allow the eggs of the cheese fly Piophila casei to be laid in the cheese. A female P. casei can lay more than 500 eggs at one time.^[4][5] The eggs hatch and the larvae begin to eat through the cheese.^[6] The acid from the maggots' digestive system breaks down the cheese's fats,^[6] making the texture of the cheese very soft; by the time it is ready for consumption, a typical Casu Martzu will contain thousands of these maggots.^[7]

Consumption[edit]

Casu martzu is considered by Sardinian aficionados to be unsafe to eat when the maggots in the cheese have died.^[8] Because of this, only cheese in which the maggots are still alive is usually eaten, although allowances are made for cheese that has been refrigerated, which results in the maggots being killed.^[8] When the cheese has fermented enough, it is often cut into thin strips and spread on moistened Sardinian flatbread (pane carasau), to be served with a strong red wine like cannonau.^[6][9] Casu martzu is believed to be an aphrodisiac by Sardinians.^[10] Because the larvae in the cheese can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in) when disturbed,^[4][11] diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping. Some who eat the cheese prefer not to ingest the maggots. Those who do not wish to eat them place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, writhe and jump in the bag, creating a 'pitter-patter' sound. When the sounds subside, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten.^[12][8]

Sardinian Casu Marzu

Health concerns[edit]

According to some food scientists, it is possible for the larvae to survive the stomach acid and remain in the intestine, leading to a condition called pseudomyiasis. There have been documented cases of pseudomyiasis with P. casei.^[13][14]

Because of European Union food hygiene-health regulations, the cheese has been outlawed, and offenders face heavy fines.^[12] However, some Sardinians organized themselves in order to make casu martzu available on the black market, where it may be sold for double the price of an ordinary block of pecorino cheese.^[10][8] As of 2019, the illegal production of this cheese was around 1,000 quintals per year, accounting for 2 to 3 million euros.^[15]

Casu Marzu

Attempts have been made to circumvent the Italian and EU ban by having casu martzu declared a traditional food^[8] (it has been made in the same manner for more than 25 years, and it is therefore exempt from ordinary food hygiene regulations). The traditional way of making the cheese is explained by an official paper of the Sardinian government.^[16]

A cooperation between sheep farmers and researchers of the University of Sassari developed a hygienic method of production, in 2005, aiming to allow the legal selling of the cheese.^[17]

Other regional variations[edit]

Outside of Sardinia, similar milk cheeses are also produced in the French island of Corsica, as a local variation of the Sardinian cheese produced in some Southern villages and known as casgiu merzu^[2] or casgiu sartinesu, as well as in a number of Italian regions.^[18][19][20]

• Bross ch'a marcia in Piedmont;
• Cacie' Punt ('formaggio punto') in Molise;
• Casu puntu in Salento (Apulia);
• Casu du quagghiu in Calabria;
• Gorgonzola coi grilli in Liguria;
• Frmag punt in Apulia;
• Furmai nis ('formaggio nisso') in Emilia-Romagna;
• Marcetto or cace fraceche in Abruzzo;
• Salterello in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Several other regional varieties of cheese with fly larvae are produced in the rest of Europe. For example, goat-milk cheese is left to the open air until P. casei eggs are naturally laid in the cheese.^[6] Then it is aged in white wine, with grapes and honey, preventing the larvae from emerging, giving the cheese a strong flavour. In addition, other regions in Europe have traditional cheeses that rely on live arthropods for ageing and flavouring, such as the German Milbenkäse and French Mimolette, both of which rely on cheese mites.

An early printed reference to Stilton cheese points to a similar production technique. Daniel Defoe in his 1724 work A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain notes, 'We pass'd Stilton, a town famous for cheese, which is call'd our English Parmesan, and is brought to table with the mites or maggots round it, so thick, that they bring a spoon with them for you to eat the mites with, as you do the cheese.'^[21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Casu, Ditzionàriu in línia de sa limba e de sa cultura sarda'. Regione Autònoma de Sardigna. c. martzu = casu fatu, fatitadu, fatitu, giampagadu, cunnitu.
2. ^ ^abCamille Cazorla (2016). 'Le casu marzu, le fromage (à larves) le plus dangereux du monde'. Le Figaro. le casu marzu qui signifie littéralement « fromage pourri » est originaire de Sardaigne, île méditerranéenne située au sud de la Corse. On l'y retrouve sous plusieurs appellations, casu modde, casu cundhidu, mais aussi en Italie, formaggio marcio, ou encore en Corse, sous le nom de casgiu merzu.
3. ^'Fromage corse: le Sartenais'. Archived from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
4. ^ ^abcBerenbaum, May R (1993). Ninety-Nine More Maggots, Mites, and Munchers. University of Illinois Press. pp. 10–14. ISBN0-252-06322-8.
5. ^Stephens, Andrew (30 August 2008). 'Top five ... challenging foods; eat, drink, cook ... and be merry'. The Age. p. A2. Under 'Casu martzu'
6. ^ ^abcdOverstreet, Robin M (December 2003). 'Presidential Address: Flavor Buds and Other Delights'. Journal of Parasitology. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: American Society of Parasitologists. 89 (6): 1093–1107. doi:10.1645/GE-236. PMID14740894. S2CID34903443. Retrieved 6 October 2008. Under the 'Botflies and other insects' section.
7. ^Hegarty, Shane (1 April 2006). 'Maggots, songbirds and other acquired tastes'. The Irish Times. p. 12.
8. ^ ^abcdeHay, Mark (31 March 2020). 'The secret resistance behind the world's most dangerous cheese'. The Outline.
9. ^Loomis, Susan Herrmann (May 2002). 'Sardinia, Italy'. Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
10. ^ ^abTrofimov, Yaroslav (23 October 2000). 'As a Cheese Turns, So Turns This Tale Of Many a Maggot --- Crawling With Worms and Illicit, Sardinia's Ripe Pecorinos Fly In the Face of Edible Reason'. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). 236 (37): A1. ISSN0099-9660.
11. ^Bethune, Brian (16 October 2006). 'The back pages'. Maclean's. The agile maggots offer an additional frisson: they can bend themselves so tightly that, when they let go, the force unleashed propels them six inches or more.
12. ^ ^abFrauenfelder, Mark (2005). 'Most Rotten Cheese'. The World's Worst: A Guide to the Most Disgusting, Hideous, Inept, and Dangerous People, Places, and Things on Earth. Chronicle Books. pp. 22–23. ISBN978-0-8118-4606-6.
13. ^Peckenscneider, L.E., Polorny, C. and Hellwig, C.A., 1952 Intestinal infestation with maggots of the cheese fly (Piophila casei). J Am Med Assoc. 1952 May 17;149 (3):262-3.
14. ^'Gastrointestinal Myiasis – Report of a case, Alonzo F. Brand, M.D., Arch Intern Med (Chic). 1931;47(1):149–154. doi:10.1001/archinte.1931.00140190160017'. doi:10.1001/archinte.1931.00140190160017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
15. ^Giulio Brescia. 'Casu marzu, un formaggio pericoloso… in attesa del marchio Dop'. p. 40.
16. ^'Casu frazigu – Formaggi'(PDF) (in Italian). Regione autonoma della Sardegna – ERSAT: Ente Regionale di Sviluppo e Assistenza Tecnica. Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
17. ^'Edizioni Pubblicità Italia'. Pubblicitaitalia.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
18. ^Comuni italiani. 'Cacie' punt'. www.comuni-italiani.it. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
19. ^Prodotti tipici. 'Formaggio saltarello'(PDF). www.prodottitipici.com. prodottitipici.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
20. ^Prodotti tipici. 'Pecorino marcetto'(PDF). www.prodottitipici.com. prodottitipici.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
21. ^Everyman's Library (London/New York: Dent/Dutton, 1928), Vol. II, p. 110.