Casu marzu
Encyclopedia
Casu marzu is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk
cheese
, notable for containing live insect larva
e. It is found mainly in Sardinia
, Italy.
Derived from Pecorino
, casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation
to a stage most would consider decomposition
, brought about by the digestive
action of the larvae of the cheese fly
Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats
. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called lagrima, from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, about 8 millimetre (0.31496062992126 in) long. When disturbed, the larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in). Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming while others do not.
removed to allow the eggs of the cheese fly
Piophila casei to be laid in the cheese. A female Piophila casei can lay more than five hundred eggs at one time. The eggs hatch and the larvae begin to eat through the cheese. The acid from the maggots' digestive system breaks down the cheese's fats
, making the texture of the cheese very soft; by the time it is ready for consumption, a typical casu marzu will contain thousands of these maggots.
), to be served with a strong red wine. Casu marzu is believed to be an aphrodisiac
by local Sardinians. Because the larvae in the cheese can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in) when disturbed, diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping. Those who do not wish to eat live maggots place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, writhe and jump in the bag, creating a "pitter-patter" sound. When the sounds subside, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten.
food hygiene-health regulations, the cheese was outlawed for a time, and offenders faced heavy fines. However, it remained possible to acquire casu marzu on the black market, where it could sell for double the price of an ordinary block of pecorino
cheese.
Currently, the EU ban has been circumvented by means of another EU regulation. Casu marzu has been declared a "traditional" food (it has been made in the same manner for more than 25 years, and the recipe is thousands of years old) and it is therefore exempt from ordinary food hygiene regulations. The traditional method of making the cheese is explained by an official paper of the local government.
s. This is referred to as an enteric
myiasis
. Cheese fly larvae are a leading cause of myiasis in human
s, and are the insect most frequently found in the human intestine. The larvae can cause serious intestinal lesions as they attempt to bore through the intestinal walls. Symptoms include nausea
, vomiting
, pain in the abdomen, and bloody diarrhea
. Living and dead larvae may pass in the stool
.
s for ageing and flavouring, such as the German Milbenkäse and French Mimolette
, both of which rely on cheese mite
s.
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...
cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, notable for containing live insect larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e. It is found mainly in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy.
Derived from Pecorino
Pecorino
Pecorino is the name of a family of hard Italian cheeses made from ewe's milk. The word derives from pecora meaning ‘sheep’, also from the Latin pecora meaning livestock....
, casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
to a stage most would consider decomposition
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
, brought about by the digestive
Digestion
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones....
action of the larvae of the cheese fly
Cheese fly
Cheese flies are members of the family Piophilidae of flies. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. The best-known member of the family is Piophila casei. It is a small fly, about four mm long, found worldwide. The fly's larva infests cured meats, smoked fish, cheeses, and decaying...
Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called lagrima, from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, about 8 millimetre (0.31496062992126 in) long. When disturbed, the larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in). Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming while others do not.
Fermentation
Casu marzu is created by leaving whole Pecorino cheeses outside with part of the rindRind
Rind may refer to:*Peel *Pork rind*Rind , a giantess in Norse mythology*Rind, Armenia, also Rrind*Rind et al. controversy, about a study on child sexual abuse*Rind , a tribe in Baluchistan...
removed to allow the eggs of the cheese fly
Cheese fly
Cheese flies are members of the family Piophilidae of flies. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. The best-known member of the family is Piophila casei. It is a small fly, about four mm long, found worldwide. The fly's larva infests cured meats, smoked fish, cheeses, and decaying...
Piophila casei to be laid in the cheese. A female Piophila casei can lay more than five hundred eggs at one time. The eggs hatch and the larvae begin to eat through the cheese. The acid from the maggots' digestive system breaks down the cheese's fats
Butterfat
Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.- Composition :The fatty acids of butterfat are typically composed as follows :...
, making the texture of the cheese very soft; by the time it is ready for consumption, a typical casu marzu will contain thousands of these maggots.
Consumption
Casu marzu is considered to be unsafe to eat by Sardinian aficionados when the maggots in the cheese have died. Because of this, only cheese in which the maggots are still alive is usually eaten, although allowances are made for cheese that has been refrigerated, which can kill the maggots. When the cheese has fermented enough, it is often cut into thin strips and spread on moistened Sardinian flatbread (pane carasauPane carasau
Pane carasau, or carta da musica, is a traditional flatbread from Sardinia.It is thin and crisp, usually in the form of a dish half a meter wide. It is made by taking baked flat bread , then separating it into two sheets which are baked again...
), to be served with a strong red wine. Casu marzu is believed to be an aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...
by local Sardinians. Because the larvae in the cheese can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in) when disturbed, diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping. Those who do not wish to eat live maggots place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, writhe and jump in the bag, creating a "pitter-patter" sound. When the sounds subside, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten.
Legality
Because of European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
food hygiene-health regulations, the cheese was outlawed for a time, and offenders faced heavy fines. However, it remained possible to acquire casu marzu on the black market, where it could sell for double the price of an ordinary block of pecorino
Pecorino
Pecorino is the name of a family of hard Italian cheeses made from ewe's milk. The word derives from pecora meaning ‘sheep’, also from the Latin pecora meaning livestock....
cheese.
Currently, the EU ban has been circumvented by means of another EU regulation. Casu marzu has been declared a "traditional" food (it has been made in the same manner for more than 25 years, and the recipe is thousands of years old) and it is therefore exempt from ordinary food hygiene regulations. The traditional method of making the cheese is explained by an official paper of the local government.
Health concerns
Larvae, if eaten alive (accidentally or otherwise), can pass through the digestive system alive (human stomach acids do not usually kill them) and live for some time in the intestineIntestine
In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...
s. This is referred to as an enteric
Enteric
Enteric can refer to:* A general term describing something related to or associated with the intestines** Microorganisms that inhabit the intestines are commonly known as enteric bacteria* Enteric nervous system...
myiasis
Myiasis
Myiasis is a general term for infection by parasitic fly larvae feeding on the host's necrotic or living tissue. Colloquialisms for myiasis include flystrike, blowfly strike, and fly-blown. In Greek, "myia" means fly....
. Cheese fly larvae are a leading cause of myiasis in human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s, and are the insect most frequently found in the human intestine. The larvae can cause serious intestinal lesions as they attempt to bore through the intestinal walls. Symptoms include nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...
, vomiting
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
, pain in the abdomen, and bloody diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
. Living and dead larvae may pass in the stool
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
.
Other regional variations
There are several other regional varieties of cheese with fly larvae in Europe. For example, goat-milk cheese is left to the open air until Piophila casei larvae are naturally laid in the cheese. Then it is aged in white wine, with grapes and honey, preventing the larvae from emerging, giving the cheese a strong flavour. In addition, other regions in Europe have traditional cheeses that rely on live arthropodArthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s for ageing and flavouring, such as the German Milbenkäse and French Mimolette
Mimolette
Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France, it is also known as Boule de Lille after its city of origin, or vieux Hollande for being made after the tradition of Edam cheese from the Dutch province of Holland...
, both of which rely on cheese mite
Cheese mite
Tyrophagus casei, the cheese mite, is a species of mite which is inoculated into and Altenburger Ziegenkäse cheese during their production...
s.