Casu marzu
Casu marzu is a Sardinian sheep milk cheese fermented by live cheese fly larvae, which eat through a pecorino wheel and break down its fats until the paste turns very soft. Its sale is banned in Italy and the EU, and Guinness World Records called it the world's most dangerous cheese.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Specific Origin | Sardinia (Italy), Southern Corsica (France) |
| Milk Type | Sheep's milk |
| Rind | Natural |
| Texture | Soft, soft-ripened |
| Flavor | Intense, spicy |
| Age | 3 months |
| Alternative Spellings | casu martzu |
| Also Known As | casu modde, casu cundídu, casu fràzigu, formaggio marcio, Casu martzu, Casgiu merzu |
What is Casu marzu Cheese?
Casu marzu comes from Sardinia, and the name means rotten cheese in Sardinian. Sardinians treat it as a symbol of the island's pastoral life, and tradition holds that it works as an aphrodisiac. A close relative is made in southern Corsica, where it is called casgiu merzu and produced in villages such as Sartene.
Production starts with a whole pecorino. Part of the rind is cut away and the wheel is left in the open air so the cheese fly Piophila casei can lay its eggs. The hatched larvae eat through the paste, and acid from their digestive systems breaks down the fats. Cheesemakers prefer milk collected towards the end of June, and a warm sirocco wind is said to improve the result. The whole process runs about three months.
The finished cheese is very soft, and a liquid called lagrima, meaning teardrop, can seep out of it. Thousands of maggots are still alive inside. The taste is intense, with Mediterranean, pastoral and spicy notes, and the aftertaste can hang around for hours after one serving.
It is usually cut into thin strips and spread on moistened pane carasau, the Sardinian flatbread, with a strong red wine such as cannonau. Sardinian enthusiasts say the cheese is no longer safe once the maggots have died, which is also what happens in a refrigerator. Diners who would rather not eat the larvae seal the cheese in a paper bag to starve them of oxygen. The maggots can jump up to 15 centimetres (6 in), so people hold a hand above the sandwich while they eat.
Italian authorities first moved against the cheese in 1962 under laws on infested food, and EU hygiene rules keep it illegal today, with heavy fines for sellers. Illegal output was estimated at 100 tonnes (110 short tons) a year as of 2019, worth 2 to 3 million euros. Researchers at the University of Sassari worked out a hygienic production method in 2005 in the hope of legal sales. The main health worry is pseudomyiasis, where larvae survive the stomach and stay in the intestine, along with microorganisms they may carry.
How Does Casu marzu Cheese Compare?
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