Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Casu marzu


Casu marzu is a Sardinian cheese that may look "normal" from far away but taking a closer look reveals live insect larvae living inside. Mainly found in Sardinia, Italy, casu marzu is a traditional food with a recipe that has been used for thousands of years. This sheep milk cheese contains live larvae of the cheese fly to help go beyond fermenting the cheese which improves its taste and texture. The cheese fly lays its larvae in pecorino, the sheep milk cheese before larvae is added, so the acid from the digestive action of the larvae will break down the cheese fats in a decomposition stage and cause the cheese to become soft.
As strange as it already may seem, casu marzu is only safe to eat while the larvae are still alive. Once the larvae are dead, the cheese is considered toxic. While people eat the cheese while the larvae are alive, the larvae itself is not consumed because a larvae in one's digestive track can lead to harmful results in the intestine.
I don't think I could ever manage trying this cheese knowing that larvae was used to help it decompose. However, it would be interesting and very, very bizarre to see this cheese and the process it goes through in person.