Attention, hunters of incredible gastronomic adventures! A trip to Italy awaits you, which means an opportunity to find the most dangerous delicacy currently existing in the country – casu marzu. People call it laconically and simply – “rotten cheese.”
Casu marzu – delicious Italian cheese with worms
Have you heard of the German Milbenkäse cheese, which is literally “produced” by mites? So, this is nothing compared to the delicacy of kasu marzu. Hundreds of cheese fly larvae are used to make this incredible Italian cheese. It is to them that the unique product owes its unusual taste, appearance and, of course, enduring fame.
The cooking technology is quite simple. A head of pecorino, an Italian sheep’s milk cheese, is soaked in a brine solution. Here it is important to maintain the required period so that, on the one hand, the taste does not repel cheese flies, and on the other, an environment for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria is not formed.
Holes are then made in the cheese. Olive oil is dripped into them – it attracts flies and at the same time softens the surface. Finally, carefully prepared cheese is placed in open areas and left there until the insects lay the required number of eggs. After which they remove it – this is where the cheesemaker’s work is completed, and the larvae come into action.
Over the course of 3-6 months, they will selflessly eat the rotting cheese and literally “pass” it through themselves – thanks to this, the delicacy will acquire a rich, sharp aroma, a burning and spicy taste, and a soft and pasty texture. The readiness of the cheese is determined “by eye”: by the consistency and number of swarming worms – to do this, just cut off the top crust from the head. In more seasoned varieties, the texture is characterized by the presence of a transparent liquid – lagrima (“tear”).The best time to produce this unusual Italian cheese is spring-autumn, when fly larvae are especially actively developing.
When eating cheese you need to protect your eyes
In Italy, they eat casa marzu like this – with worms, without being at all embarrassed by the fact that disturbed 8-mm larvae can jump out of the cheese by 15 centimeters. The most important thing, as they say in Sardinia, is to take care of your eyes. You can close your eyes, put on glasses, or simply cover the sandwich with your hand.
Another vitally important nuance: if you eat cheese with larvae, you need to chew them thoroughly and under no circumstances swallow them alive. Otherwise, they can cause damage to internal organs.If the worms in the cheese die, this is a bad sign. In Italy, such casu marzu is considered toxic and should not be eaten.
However, not all gourmets liked the idea of eating Italian cheese with larvae. Particularly inventive and savvy eaters have come up with a way to get rid of worms. To do this, place a portion of Italian cheese in a paper bag and close it tightly. Left without oxygen, the worms will begin to chaotically leave their habitat and make a characteristic drumbeat, hitting the walls of the bag. When there is silence, you can open the bag, shake out the larvae and calmly enjoy the delicacy.
In Italy, there are several ways to consume the famous worm cheese. If it is denser, it is cut into slices and placed on top of the flatbread. If, on the contrary, it is soft, it is spread on bread like paste. Traditionally, strong red wine is offered with cheese .
Italian cheese with worms is the most dangerous on the planet
Many convinced gourmets, once in Italy, dream of trying the famous cheese with worms and testing from personal experience whether it is so good. However, doctors are not enthusiastic about such an adventure and warn: a gastronomic adventure can be very dangerous.
The least possible problem is an allergy, the biggest is the risk of damage to the walls of the stomach and intestines by tenacious larvae. In addition, toxic poisoning and intestinal infections cannot be ruled out. Not the most inspiring set of consequences, is it?The Guinness Book of Records lists casu marzu as the most dangerous cheese in the world.
But in the homeland of cheese they just shake their heads: there is no official confirmation of the doctors’ findings yet. And as if refuting all the dangers, in Sardinia cheese with worms is traditionally present on any festive table. Moreover, it is even considered an excellent aphrodisiac, especially relevant for men. Not to mention that, like all cheeses, this Italian delicacy is good for teeth, bones, and muscles.
Kasu marzu – “outlaw”
A shocking Italian delicacy – cheese with worms – appeared on the island of Sardinia. True, no one can say with certainty when and who first came up with the bright idea of this recipe. It is believed that, like many other discoveries in the world, this dangerous dish was born by mistake when the cheese maker forgot to remove the head of pecorino and did not notice that it was favored by fly larvae.Italian worm cheese has several names. The most common is casu marzu, but casu du quagghiu (Calabria), furmai nis (Emilia-Romagna), marcetto (Abruzzo), Bross ch’a marcia (Piemonte) are also known.
One way or another, the recipe quickly spread throughout the island. However, in Europe – and even in Italy itself – he was not appreciated. The production and sale of kasu marzu is strictly prohibited in the EU. The only exception is Sardinia itself, where rare cheese with worms continues to be made in small villages and offered “under the counter” in local taverns. It’s hard to blame the Sardinians for this, because the casu marzu has always been considered a national treasure here. Since 2010, the cheese has been officially recognized by them.
Despite the fact that in Sardinia they dream of changing the categorical EU regulation, a miracle has not happened yet, which means that you won’t be able to buy cheese with maggots in Italy on the first corner. First you need to go to a fragrant island, and perhaps luck will smile on you. However, in this case, get ready that the price of pleasure will be very sensitive. They say that a kilogram of Italian cheese with worms costs 2-3 times more than pecorino – and this is about 30-50 € .