Casu Marzu
Casu Marzu is an overripe sheep's cheese from Sardinia that ripens until it contains maggots . Further names are:
- casu modde
- casu cundhídu or
- formaggio marcio (Italian)
The name "Casu Marzu" means spoiled cheese and comes from a Sardinian dialect.
Manufacture and consumption
The production process is derived from that of the pecorino sardo , but cheese flies of the Piophila casei species also lay their eggs on the cheese during production. The maggots penetrate the cheese and, through digestion, convert it to a creamy consistency, strong aroma and exuding a liquid called lacrima ("tear"). When consumed, the live maggots are in the cheese and are eaten with them. Since the larvae of this species are partially resistant to gastric acid, they get into the digestive tract and can cause myiasis there .
Casu Marzu is eaten pure, but sometimes also with the Sardinian bread Pane carasau .
Since 2005, production and distribution have been banned under EU food law. Efforts are being made, however, to take hygienic measures to ensure that the flies do not come into contact with carcasses before they can settle on the cheese.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Everything about cheese - cheese from all over the world from A to Z: Casu Marzu , www.kaesewelten.info.
- ↑ A spicy piece of cheese: The maggots dance in Casu Marzu ( Memento of the original from September 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , www.n-tv.de.
- ↑ TV documentation from N24 ( Memento of the original from December 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , YouTube .
