Casu Marzu, meaning rotten cheese, is an Italian delicacy made from sheep’s milk on the island of Sardinia. Fly larvae are introduced into the cheese to break down the fats and this gives the cheese a soft texture and an appealing taste. As there is a ban on its sale, it is available only on the black market.
If you are able to overcome the understandable disgust, marzu has a flavor that is intense with reminders of the Mediterranean pastures and spicy with an aftertaste that stays for hours.
Some say it’s an aphrodisiac. Others say that it could be dangerous for human health as maggots could survive the bite and and create myiasis, micro-perforations in the intestine, but so far, no such case has been linked to casu marzu.
The cheese is banned from commercial sale, but Sardinians have been eating it, jumping grubs included, for centuries.
“The maggot infestation is the spell and delight of this cheese,” says Paolo Solinas, a 29-year-old Sardinian gastronome.
He says some Sardinians cringe at the thought of casu marzu, but others raised on a lifetime of salty pecorino unabashedly love its strong flavors.
“Some shepherds see the cheese as a unique personal pleasure, something that just a few elects can try,” Solinas adds.
Credit : CNN travel
Picture Credit : Google
