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On the island of Sardinia, not everything is as idyllic as it seems; it also produces the most dangerous variety of cheese in the world, produced in the curves of its hills. Known as casu marzu, it is, in short, a cheese infested with maggots that in 2009 even took the prize for the most dangerous cheese in the world at the Guinness World Record.
The process begins with cheese flies, which lay their eggs in the crevices of fiore sardo, the island’s typical salty pecorino. The maggots hatch and work their way through the paste, digesting the proteins and transforming the cheese into a creamy, smooth texture.
When the cheesemaker opens the lid, almost untouched by worms, he extracts a spoonful of its creamy interior. Some locals run the cheese through a centrifuge to melt the worms into the cheese, while others prefer it plain.
If you are able to overcome the initial nausea, you will be able to appreciate the intense flavor of casu marzu, its notes of Mediterranean pastures and its spicy touch that leaves a lasting aftertaste. Some even claim that it has aphrodisiac properties, although others warn of possible health risks, such as myiasis, caused by worms that could survive in the human organism. To date, however, no cases of such problems related to the cheese have been reported.
The commercial sale of this cheese is forbidden, but Sardinians have been enjoying it for centuries, jumping worms included. For many locals, the thought of casu marzu can be disconcerting, but others, raised on salty pecorino, deeply enjoy its intense flavors that some of the tourists or adventurers exploring the island will be able to taste.
