Casu Marzu (literally “rotten cheese”) is far more than a culinary curiosity and one of the most popular cheeses on the market, it is real delicacy in the Sadarina region in Italy.
What is strange about this cheese is that its eaten with wriggling worms and maggots. In fact, the Sardinian people will tell you that this spicy and creamy cheese is only fine when the maggots are still moving, if they are dead, its considered unfit for human consumption
What really gets me to the point is that maggots that are alive and kicking are considered a delicacy, but if you leave the cheese lying there until the larvae die, you can consider it unsafe.When the maggots are dead, Casu Marzu breaks down and reaches a point that is too toxic for human consumption
If you like strong cheeses like Gorgonzola, Stilton or Camembert, you will like the taste of Casu
If that was not enough to make you sick, you can read another interesting fact about rotten cheese here. When you try to eat the cheese, the larvae in the cheese feel really disturbed and start jumping. The larvae eat rotten cheese because the acidity in their system tends to give Casu Marzu its unique and legendary flavor and consistency.
The digestive action of the larvae also gives Casu Marzu its soft consistency, which allows it to be perfectly distributed so that the floundering maggots themselves do not appear in the mouth as much as in real life.
Maggots are not only crucial to the taste of Casu Marzu, but they are also a symbol of the degree of decay. Some Sardinians even consider Casu Marzu unsafe because maggots kill the cheese when it is disturbed or disturbed, and 7% of guests keep their hands over their mouths when they pounce on the cheese larvae, preventing them from jumping out. The local sardines in Sarda believe that it is an aphrodisiac because it has anti-inflammatory properties, especially for women, but also for men.
Casu Marzu is widely considered so dangerous that it is actually illegal in Sardinia, but that does not mean that it cannot be had.You cannot just go into any cheese shop and expect to see su gallu behind the counter. Cheese from Sardinia can be found by making it yourself or by knowing the man who knows the country’s cheese shops.
