Sardinia, that beautiful Mediterranean island you see in the post cards, with the beautiful white beaches. It holds a dark secret.
Let me tell you about a cheese called, Casu Marsu. It literally translates to “Rotten Cheese”
This sheep’s milk cheese starts out much like a good Pecorino cheese, but there’s a twist…
The cheesemakers cut the top off the wheel, and leave the cheese outside, in the mediterranean heat allowing “cheese flies” to lay their larvae on in cheese.
The eggs hatch into Maggots and over the next 2-3 months the Maggots begin to eat through the cheese.
Literally consuming the body of the cheese and excreting it out again, transforming the flavour and texture to a smooth, creamy, yet sour and complex cheese.
Maggots are still alive and crawling around when this cheese is eaten.
The maggots act a bit like a miners canary… the cheese is considered “unsafe to eat” if the maggots have died.
This means that the maggots are still alive and crawling around when this cheese is eaten. Can you imagine this?
And they jump around 150mm too, so you have to cover the plate with your hand.
A couple decades ago the European Union prohibited the sale of this cheese, for obvious reasons, but hey, the Sardinians still make it and share it on special occasions. To them, its more than a cheese, it’s a deep part of their culture.
