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Casu marzu is not one to look at if you are squeamish. Once it’s cracked open, you can see the grubs squirming and wriggling inside.
At this point, the cheesemonger cracks open the top of the cheese, which is usually untouched by maggots, and scoops out the creamy goodness.
Maggots hatch from the eggs and make their way through the cheese paste, digesting proteins in the process.
As the maggots work their way through the pecorino, they turn the product into a soft and creamy cheese.
Casu marzu begins to form when cheese skipper flies lay their eggs in a cheese, usually fiore sardo (the island’s salty pecorino).
Others, however, consider casu marzu to be a creamy delicacy and an important part of Sardinian cuisine, culture, and heritage.
When tourists visit Sardinia, they usually encounter pane carasau, the island’s iconic flatbread, and fiore sardo, its pecorino cheese.
If they veer slightly off the beaten track, however, visitors to this charming island may come across the Sardinian delicacy of casu marzu, a maggot-infested cheese.
Casu marzu is a cheese native to the Italian island of Sardinia. Interestingly, it is what cheesemakers get when they let maggots munch their way through a tasty pecorino! This strong-tasting cheese is very divisive; some Sardinians consider it a delicacy, while others cannot even bear to look at it. But aside from its potential to turn the stomach, some people believe casu marzu may actually be dangerous to eat.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
Sardinia is an Italian island that sits in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is known for its sprawling white sand beaches and exquisite Mediterranean cuisine.
Casu marzu is controversial, even among people who have grown up on the island. Indeed, some Sardinians cringe at the very idea of eating a cheese filled with jumping grubs.
This is because, in 1962, the Italian government passed a law that prohibits the consumption of food infected by parasites.
Sardinians that sell casu marzu run the risk of being hit with fines that can run into many thousands of euros.
In recent years, the European Union has started to focus on grubs as a potential food source. Indeed, research shows that consuming insects could help alleviate the climate crisis by reducing the need for livestock farming.
Going forward, only time will tell what this development could mean for the future of the Sardinian delicacy that is casu marzu.
Sources: (CNN)
See also: Understanding why cheese and milk have different colors
However, most Sardinians just laugh when you ask them about the prohibition of casu marzu.
As previously mentioned, it is illegal to buy or sell casu marzu (even though it is registered as a traditional product of Sardinia and is therefore locally protected).
The cheese also has various different names, such as casu becciu, casu fattittu, hasu muhidu, formaggio marcio.
Casu marzu is therefore an important part of Sardinian culture, and each subregion of the island has its own way of producing it.
However, it is clear from the writing of Pliny the Elder and Aristotle that Sardinians have always eaten worms.
For many people, casu marzu should not be considered a strange attraction, but rather an important product that keeps an ancient tradition alive.
However, that has not stopped the Italian government from banning the commercial sale of the cheese.
According to Giovanni Fancello, a Sardinian journalist and gastronome, there is no written record of Sardinian recipes until 1909.
Until now, there has been no recorded case of this occurring in someone who has consumed casu marzu.
The main health concern with casu marzu is that the maggots could survive being eaten and go on to create micro perforations in the intestine.
Indeed, in 2009, it was proclaimed the world’s most dangerous cheese by Guinness World Records.
Aside from being arguably a bit disgusting, many people believe that casu marzu can be harmful to human health.
Others prefer to spin the product through a centrifuge, in order to mix the maggots in with the rest of the cheese.
Many Sardinians are able to stomach the sight of casu marzu; they simply pop everything in their mouths and eat it au naturel.
In terms of taste, casu marzu is strong and has a slight kick that lingers for hours after you consume it.
Exploring casu marzu, the infamous cheese with a risky reputation
Learn all about this maggot-infested cheese
FOOD Sardinia
Casu marzu is a cheese native to the Italian island of Sardinia. Interestingly, it is what cheesemakers get when they let maggots munch their way through a tasty pecorino! This strong-tasting cheese is very divisive; some Sardinians consider it a delicacy, while others cannot even bear to look at it. But aside from its potential to turn the stomach, some people believe casu marzu may actually be dangerous to eat.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.