One way or another, the recipe quickly spread throughout the island. However, in Europe - and in Italy itself - he was not appreciated. The production and sale of casu marzu is strictly prohibited in the EU. The only exception is Sardinia itself, where rare cheese with worms is still made in small villages and offered “under the counter” in local taverns. Sardinians can hardly be blamed for this, because casu marzu has always been considered a national treasure here. Since 2010, the cheese has been officially recognized by him.

Despite the fact that in Sardinia they dream of changing the categorical EU decree, until a miracle happens, which means that you won’t be able to buy cheese with maggots in Italy on the first corner. First you need to go to a fragrant island, and perhaps you will be lucky. True, in this case, get ready that the price of pleasure will be very sensitive. They say that a kilogram of Italian cheese with worms costs 2-3 times more than pecorino - and this is about 30-50 €.

Our choice: Provoletta affumicata cheese - has a pleasant appearance, creamy taste and inviting aroma.

Cheese is one of the main products produced on the island of Sardinia.

Holidays in Sardinia without gastronomic discoveries? This does not happen! Every tourist who comes to this island understands that Sardinia is not only very beautiful, but also very tasty! But let's talk about serious things, like cheese. In addition to traditional Italian cheeses, there are many unusual and even exotic cheeses on the island of Sardinia. Therefore, when you arrive on the island of Sardinia, be sure to taste all the variety of local Sardinian cheeses produced from sheep and goat milk. Mine gastronomic tour in Sardinia start with soft cheese Dolce Sardo(Sweet Sardinian) with a delicate creamy taste, go to the cheese Provoletta(provoletta),made in the form of a pear, this cheese has a creamy, slightly salty flavor. Butespecially tasty cheese Provoletta affumicata(provoletta affumicata) is a creamy smoked cheese. special Pecorino sardo cheese is the national pride of Sardinia(Pecorino Sardo) is a hard cheese made from sheep's milk. Pecorino cheese has a rather strong taste and tart smell, especially this smell is enhanced by aged, so to speak, adult Pecorino cheeses. stagionato(stadzhionato from the word stagione - season). Sardis love their local cheeses, they eat them in kilograms, washed down with red wine. Many and often add cheese to various dishes. But if in the continental Italy many recipes use grated Parmiggiano cheese(parmigiano - parmesan), then in Sardinia they prefer grated Pecorino. It is more piquant, its taste is more pronounced, and the smell is more tart and rich. Smell of Pecorino , in fact, it’s very specific, and not everyone enjoys it :) But then someone is used to anything, because since ancient times, the main food of the shepherds on the island was Pecorino sheep cheese, which was eaten with Carasau bread and washed down with wine from local grape varieties. Centuries have passed, but even now in every family, on every table Sardinia islands be sure to eat local sheep cheese, bread carasau and the red wine Cannonau.

Where is the exotic?

National treasure of Sardinia - cheese with worms!

What would be so exotic to try in Sardinia? Try sheep cheese with worms Casu Marzu! Such advice can often be heard from the islanders, who greet their guests with open arms and richly laid tables. Already only translating from the Sardian language the words "Casu Marzu" you may feel uncomfortable because "casu marzu" translates as "rotten cheese"! To prepare Casu Marzu, Pecorino sheep cheese is aged longer than usual and, thus, increasing the fermentation stage, bring ordinary cheese to natural decay caused (Oh horror!) by the digestive activity of cheese fly larvae. These larvae accelerate all the processes of decay and decomposition of fats contained in cheese, softening the cheese mass. The cheese becomes soft and creamy, and at the moment of decomposition, a liquid is released from the cheese mass, which the Sardinians call "lagrime", which means "tears" (lacrime - Italian) in the Sardinian dialect. Cheese fly larvae are such small white worms, the size of which reaches 5 - 8 mm in length. These are very mobile and tenacious creatures, and if they are disturbed, they are able to jump up to 15 cm. Therefore, everyone who dares to taste kazu marzu is recommended to cover the cheese with your hand and protect your eyes while eating. Many sardines prefer to remove the moving larvae from the cheese mass before eating, while others enjoy eating this delicacy along with the larvae. The taste of this Sardinian delicacy is quite peculiar, sharp, piquant, very rich and unlike other cheeses. They eat it spread on bread, including traditional Sardinian bread cakes. carasau(karazau) or Guttiau(guttiau). It should be noted that even NOT rotten Pecorino sheep cheese (pecorino) has a rather strong specific smell, let alone rotten! So before you taste Casu Marzu I recommend sniffing it first, and if that didn't scare you away, then Buon appetito and welcome to the thrill-seeking club! But be careful, Casu Marzu can cause allergic reactions and severe indigestion, which means the risk of intestinal infection with larvae. After all, live larvae may not be digested in your stomach (gastric juice is not always able to kill them!) And will stay in your intestines for a while. Since these creatures are very tenacious and mobile, they may attempt to drill into the walls of the intestines, and then even more serious health complications can arise, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea with blood, a feeling of nausea and even vomiting. Not so long ago in the territory Europe and Italy sale Casu Marzu was banned because it poses a health hazard and is considered a contaminated product. But the Sardinian traditions are so strong and deep that they cannot be prevented by any forbidding law and in Sardinia this prohibition was always violated, and the cheese was sold illegally. In 2010 Casu marzu cheese, fortunately for the Sardinian shepherds, was still recognized cultural heritage of the island of Sardinia and again allowed for sale, but only on the territory of the island. Its cost is several times higher than the price of regular Pecorino sheep cheese, and there are always thrill-seekers who are ready to taste it. cheese with live worms.

In almost every country there are dishes that are distinguished by their unusualness. These include cheese with worms. Many would consider the dish unfit to eat and throw it away, but not the Italians. They make such a dish on purpose and eat it with pleasure.

Origin story

However, not all people were happy with this ban and therefore began to organize protests. The Italian authorities were forced to petition for the inclusion of cheese with worms in the list of traditional Italian dishes. This trick helped to continue to produce and sell such cheese, which does not meet sanitary standards.

In addition, farmers were forced to apply for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sassari. As a result, a type of cheese fly was bred, which is considered safe for humans. After a few years, almost all farmers switched to the use of bred insects and stopped worrying about their health.

Cheese production began to take place according to stricter rules, which could, to some extent, satisfy the sanitary services. However, the Italians are insisting that a commission from the European Union assign the DOP status to Cas Marz cheese. So far, scientists do not agree with such a crazy decision and in every possible way prevent it.

But experts from the Guinness Book of Records call the delicacy the most dangerous of cheeses. It is believed that such cheese can cause both vomiting and diarrhea. However, the opinion of Italians about such an interesting product is different from what is written in the book. Those who have already tried cheese say that there is nothing wrong with this product. If you overcome the disgust, and still try it, the reaction will be positive to the extraordinary cheese. According to official figures, there have been no cases of poisoning in the entire history of its creation in Italy.

Many tourists go to the island of Sardinia just to see how the Italian delicacy is eaten. After all, not everyone can force themselves to try such an unconventional product. However, many people want to see such a spectacle.

Cooking technology

Although many people think that cheese is literally infested with cheese fly larvae, this is actually not the case. To prepare it, you need to make the classic Italian cheese Pecorino Sardo (Pecorino Sardo). It is prepared according to the same recipe. However, in a solution of salt, the product is not kept for as long as required by the standards.

This time is sufficient for no microorganisms to develop. At the same time, the saline solution has not yet had time to become so concentrated as to scare away the flies.

Several holes are made in the crust of cooked cheese. A little olive oil is added there, which will not only soften the surface, but also attract flies. The cheese is moved to a place where insects can get to it. In this case, the heads are not allowed to turn over.

As soon as the cheese is completely infected, the heads are immediately stacked on top of each other and sent for storage. This is done so that the eggs can move throughout the cheese. When the larvae hatch, they will begin to eat it. In addition, they produce a product that speeds up the fermentation process. For this reason, the cheese becomes soft.

When “tears” flow from it, it is believed that the cheese is already ready. This process can take three to six months. The finished Casu Marzu has a greenish tint and does not smell very good. In addition, it contains a large number of larvae of cheese flies. They eat such cheese along with maggots.

The cheese flies that take an active role in creating such an interesting product are not big at all. They can be no more than four millimeters. In addition, they are quite fast and are constantly in places such as smoke plants or any food warehouses.

In the most active period, they can lay up to one hundred and twenty eggs. At the same time, they lay eggs only on fresh food. The larvae are able to survive even in the most difficult conditions and can develop even in saline. According to some experiments, it was found that they can survive even in kerosene.

Benefit and harm

In fact, only milk is responsible for the benefits. Everyone knows about its effect on the body. It strengthens bones, gives energy and nourishes. Everything else can only bring harm to the human body and nothing more.

If we talk about cheese flies, then many food enterprises suffer only losses from such insects. After all, the fly is a peddler, as well as the causative agent of various infectious diseases. Many people working in such plants suffer from these insects.

After all, getting on the skin of a person, the larva can even be under the epithelium. As a result, purulent wounds appear, which, in addition to everything else, also heal poorly. Therefore, if maggots enter the human stomach, damage to some of its sections may occur. This will only lead to pain, not pleasure.

Therefore, such cheese, if cooked and eaten incorrectly, can harm a person. People everywhere try to eradicate these harmful insects, but in Italy they are too popular.

The harm is as follows:

1. skin allergies may occur;
2. Poisoning with toxins is possible;
3. there may be sharp pains in the abdomen;
4. there is vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by the release of blood.

Definitely eating such a "delicacy" is not worth such sacrifices. The inhabitants of the island claim that if you eat cheese with live larvae, then everything will be in order. However, that's not all. After all, such insects not only move by crawling, they can also bounce. At the same time, the height of such a jump is up to fifteen centimeters. The larvae jump more out of fear. It is better to eat cheese in goggles so that the larvae do not get directly into the eye.

How is the product eaten?

If we talk about the appearance, then the cheese with larvae is very similar to the famous Italian Pecorino cheese. But here it is only in appearance, that is, in the form of a cylinder with convex sides. The ingredients used are similar. One head of such cheese can weigh up to four kilograms.

The consistency depends entirely on the number of worms in the composition. The cheese can be quite thick. This means that there are very few larvae in it. It can also have a creamy texture. However, true gourmets prefer more aged cheeses. They should also contain liquid, as well as many larvae, which sometimes reach eight millimeters in size.

This show is not for everyone. In addition, a rather pungent smell will come from the cheese. As a result of such exposure, its taste is quite pungent. After biting off just one piece, for several hours you can feel an aftertaste that is very difficult to get rid of.

As already mentioned, they eat a delicacy only with live worms. When they are dead, the cheese becomes toxic. Big adherents of this unusual dish compare this dish with pasta with cheese. The crust in the cheese is not eaten, it is cut off and thrown away.

According to tradition, Casu Marz must be cut into small pieces and put on freshly cooked Italian flatbread. It is necessary to serve such a dish with wine, and fortified. If the cheese is very liquid, then the product can be eaten with a spoon, biting off the bread.

Many do not even choose crawling grubs and eat directly with them. However, there are also squeamish people who simply cannot bring themselves to eat a live worm.

To get rid of worms, you just need to wrap the cheese in a fairly dense sheet. This will cut off the supply of oxygen. The larvae from this jump and break on the walls of the paper. At the same time, there is an incredible noise. When it stops, then you can start eating. However, this must be done very quickly, as dead worms release a large amount of toxins. This means that after a while the product will simply have to be thrown away.

To prevent this from happening, experienced cheese makers choose a tricky way. To do this, the cheese head is placed in polyethylene and tied quite well. When oxygen ceases to flow to the larvae, they leave the head. At this time, they are simply shaken off and the cheese can be eaten without exotic residents. Toxins do not have time to get into the product and you can eat it without fear for your health.

If we talk about the price of cheese, then many will find it overpriced. So, for one kilogram of such a delicacy they ask for two hundred dollars. It is sold in fairly tightly closed containers. Pieces, while very small, two hundred grams.

By the way, for those who want to try the original delicacy, it will not be easy to find a product. Casu Marz is not sold in stores. It happens to meet him in the grocery markets, but even then very rarely. Kas Marz must be ordered in advance from local farmers.

If we talk about the reviews of most people who have tried this delicacy, then they are not the best. Neither the taste nor the smell cause much pleasure. Only gourmets like the product, and those who are used to trying something unusual.

Cheese Casu Marzu is the property of only the Italian island of Sardinia. As a food product, it is not of particular importance to other peoples. They can try it just out of curiosity, and not all of them. After all, its special filling in an unprepared person will only cause disgust, but not pleasure. Fans of an unusual taste will love Italian cheese with larvae.

See the next video for how wormy Casu Marzu cheese is made.

Casu marzu - Sardinia

This is a specific delicacy from Sardinia, which is served on the table with a warning from the Ministry of Health. Most foods that contain maggots are automatically thrown into the trash, but this decomposed "rotten cheese" is considered a real delicacy.

Chef Pecorino Sardo established that cheese flies (Piophila casei ; English cheese skipper, fr. elasticot du fromage) - insects of the Diptera order of the family Piophilidae kind Piophila — can lay eggs under the cheese crust, where the larvae later appear. The larvae in turn feed on the cheese, causing the cheese to ferment and causing a pungent odor.

The female cheese fly lays 40-120 eggs at a time on the surface of salted or smoked fish or, more rarely, in old cheese (hence its name), lard, ham, etc. 40-120 eggs. The larvae are called cheese worms or cheese mites or jumpers, reach a length of 8 mm and, when disturbed, can jump up to 15 cm; during the summer, several generations of the cheese fly are replaced; overwinter in the pupal stage. Pupae, as a rule, are located in the soil, in the remains of products infected with cheese flies, as well as inside floor cracks, boxes, empty barrels, etc.

What is interesting and quite prudent: this type of cheese is officially banned in the EU, since the larvae are eaten alive with cheese, and the larvae jump perfectly - up to 15 centimeters, but still the craftsmen continue to cook it, and lovers of unusual delicacies taste it with pleasure.

What it looks like: macaroni and cheese.

In the villages around Mount Lollou, in Sardinia, local peasants like to sit after dinner with a glass of homemade wine. For an appetizer, wine is served with bread and something brown, which is removed immediately before the meal from a dark cupboard. This is cheese. And that cheese is moving. This fragrant piece, riddled with holes, is inhabited by thousands of tiny writhing larvae. According to local beliefs, such an appetizer is an excellent aphrodisiac, despite the fact that this dish was invented quite by accident. It is hardly necessary to tell you exactly how you can achieve such results on your own. To this day, farmers in the northern regions of Italy are constantly engaged in the manufacture of homemade sheep cheese with larvae.

Kasu marzu cheese

It is an Italian delicacy from Sardinia, where its production is illegal. From the Sardinian Casu Marzu is translated as "rotten cheese", and this name went to him for a reason. Casu marzu is aged longer than the normal fermentation stage, bringing it to a state of decay. In this state, cheese flies take over it, laying their larvae in it. The larvae are almost centimeter-long worms that, moving through the cheese, secrete special enzymes that give it an even sharper smell, rotten taste, and a soft, creamy texture. They often like to treat themselves to decomposing cheese at weddings or other family celebrations.

Price: $100 per pound (500 gr)

It happens that you find a single cockroach in a slice of bread, and the whole loaf flies with a whistle into the trash can. You will find a worm in fresh meat, and after that you go around the “sinful” butcher shop on the fifth road. Most people are squeamish, but not on the island of Sardinia, where the main national treasure is Casu Marzu - pecorino cheese, rotting, infested with live maggots. Feeding on cheese proteins and fats, the larvae secrete special enzymes that digest milk components into a special sticky, sticky mass. Being ready for use, the mass of this is teeming with still living worms. Keep in mind that frightened larvae can jump 10-15 centimeters, i.e. right in the face of the extreme eater. That is, it is advisable to eat a Sardinian delicacy with your eyes closed.

If you still thought that blue cheese like Roquefort was the weirdest type of cheese in existence, then it's time to reconsider your views on this product:

1. Stilton Cheese (Real Gold)

Cheesemakers have created something that will decorate any festive menu - Stilton cheese made of real gold. Clawson Stilton Gold sells for $100 a 100-gram piece or $1,000 a kilo—that's 67 times the price of regular Stilton.

This cheese has become the most expensive British cheese in history, even in order to spread one cracker you have to shell out $ 10. Clauson says the white Stilton is so expensive because it is infused with edible gold leaf and golden tincture.

The company claims that they have already been contacted by sheiks and famous pop stars who want to try a piece of the unique cheese.

2. Pule cheese (the most expensive cheese in the world)


A pound of Pule cheese will cost $1,700. This cheese is made in the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve in Belgrade, Serbia (pule is Serbian for donkey). Justification for this price? Donkey milk. It takes about 25 liters of donkey milk to make one kilogram of this white, fluffy cheese.

No other special ingredients are required to create this smoked cheese. Its price is determined only by the purchase price of milk (about $45 per liter). However, pule is not made commercially, so even if you're a billionaire, you don't have to run to the store to buy a piece of this cheese.

3. Epuas Cheese

Epoisses, one of Napoleon's favorite cheeses, is one of the most foul-smelling cheeses in the world. To give you an idea of ​​its disgusting aroma: Epoisses are banned from public transport in France. It is prepared from raw cow's milk, and the crust is washed with apple cognac.

Epuas is a strong-smelling, soft cheese, but if it begins to emit a strong smell of ammonia, it must be thrown away - it has become inedible. If he smells like someone who hasn't showered in a week, enjoy!

4. Kasu marzu (cheese with live larvae)


Casu marzu is a sheep's milk cheese popular on the Italian island of Sardinia. Its name means "rotten cheese", or as it is more often called "cheese with larvae" - insect larvae actually live in it.

In order to make rotten cheese, you need to take a little different cheese - pecorino (pecorino sardo), but leave it to ferment longer than usual, until it starts to rot. Cheese fly larvae are added to cheese, and the acid from their digestive systems speeds up the process of breaking down the fats in the cheese, making the product soft and full of liquid. By the time it can be eaten, thousands of larvae live in kasu marzu.

The locals consider it unsafe to eat kasu marzu after the larvae have died, so it is served while the 8mm white worms are still twitching in the cheese. Some people clean the cheese from the larvae before eating a piece, while others eat directly with the larvae. Those who eat cheese with larvae should cover it with their hands - when disturbed, the larvae can jump to a height of 15 centimeters.

5. Milbencase (cheese made with tick excrement)


Germany, which annually produces more than 1.8 million tons of 400 different types of cheese, is rightfully considered a cheese power. Of all the types of cheese produced in Germany, one can be distinguished - produced in Würchwitz using an unusual technology that makes it an unusual delicacy.

Milbenkäse is a cheese made by leaving cottage cheese to be torn apart by thousands of dust mites, which turn it into a delicacy. The mites secrete an enzyme that makes the cheese “mature”: after a month the cheese turns yellowish, after three months it turns brownish, and after a year the cheese turns into an almost black lump, adored by some cheese lovers. The taste of cheese is bitter. By the way, it is believed that cheese may have a healing effect that helps people not develop allergies to house dust. Ticks are eaten with cheese.

6. Halloumi (cheese that doesn't melt)


Halloumi is the traditional cheese of Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean. Halloumi has a high melting point, so it can be grilled or fried. Not a single barbecue in Cyprus is complete without halloumi.

Halloumi is also often eaten with watermelon during the warmer months of the year. Juicy watermelon slices are quite refreshing, and halloumi pieces give an unusual taste.

Halloumi is also part of the Cypriot meze snack set, and if you order a cold beer in a Cypriot bar, you will most likely be served with a few pieces of halloumi.

7. Viu Lille (the most pungent cheese in the world)


The Teddington Cheese merchants, who sell cheeses from all over the world, assign the term "tart" to very few types of cheese. The real meaning of this epithet is revealed by the fact that the icon for such cheeses is a man in a gas mask.

If you ask them to advise you on the most tart cheese, Vieux Lille is likely to be one of the contenders for this title. The pungent smell and sharp, salty taste will scare the faint of heart away from this cheese. The cheese is also called "Puant de Lille" and "Puant Macéré", which allows you to guess the nature of the cheese - in translation, this means "stinky marinade".