You're a fan of cheese and you want cheese with everything? Absolutely! According to a lot of research, cheese can be one of the most addictive foods. Cheese is really an ancient food predating history. There are more than a thousand types of cheese around the world and each recipe is unique. But today we are going to read an article about a very interesting and unusual cheese that we have named Casu marzu from Sardinia.
The Mediterranean city of Sardinia, Italy, is a real gem with its beautiful beaches, breathtaking scenery and exquisite gastronomy. Sardinia's most famous dish is Casu marzu, the typical cheese that Sardinia produces. The peculiarity of this cheese is that its production goes beyond fermentation and involves the decomposition stage where the final product contains living larvae or maggots.
This particular cheese has a very tedious processing. The first step is to heat the milk, which is sheep's milk, and then the milk is set to clot for 3 weeks. Then the base or rind is removed where the flies lay their eggs and finally the cheese is left to decompose in a dark place for about 3 months where the eggs of the flies’ hatch into larvae that now feed the rotten cheese, thus completing the production process. Sounds gruesome, isn’t it? But according to reviews, Casu marzu can have a delicious and full-flavoured taste.
If you are in Sardinia and you want to live such an unusual gastronomic experience, we have our guide for you. Casu marzu is not at all easy to find. The reason being the potential health problems linked to the consumption of this cheese, the health authorities of the European Union have banned Casu marzu. So, to get your hands on this particular cheese, you really have to go to one of the Italian black markets or alternately you can have a conversation with any restaurateur in Sardinia about how to have a taste of Casu marzu and you will definitely be able to devour some of it.
Next, we come to the way to eat this strange cheese. You have to close your eyes while consuming the cheese and this is an unavoidable step. And the second step is to chew very properly and make sure that the maggots are completely dead while you are chewing the cheese. You must also make sure that the larvae in the cheese are alive and not dead, because dead larvae indicate that the cheese is too unfit to eat.
As awful as it sounds, Casu marzu has been one of the most sought-after dishes not only in Sardinia but all over the world! Its texture and flavour have something that attracts people to it. It is also said that Casu marzu tastes best with flatbread accompanied by a glass of red wine. This cheese also holds the Guinness World Record for "Most Dangerous Cheese". So if you're an extraordinary adventure seeker, don't hesitate to go and get your piece of Casu marzu in Sardinia.
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