", Now you might be thinking why not just remove the maggots from the cheese before serving and you eliminate the health risks, right? culture aims to nurture passion for great cheese through accurate, engaging The cheese has to start decomposing for the whole process to start. It is found mainly in Sardinia, Italy. Explore our website for stunning photos, cheesemaker profiles, recipes, wine, beer, and a They eat the cheese and burrow through the crust, creating a dense cheese with a sweet and salty flavor. "Some who have tasted it have felt its "burn" and have even suffered from irreparable damages to their stomachs", states an articled published by Cafe Babel The Sardinians went ballistic on this! Throughout our meal Giuseppe visited our table to share the story of Casu Marzu. Step one is to heat the milk and then let it sit for three weeks to curdle. That is absolutely realistic, e.g. But no matter how refined your cheesy interests, there are some cheeses you'll never, ever see in an American grocery store. The main difference is that after its made, a hole is cut in the top and the cheese is placed outdoors where cheese flies (Piophila casei) can find it and use it as a cheap hotel room for trysts and baby making. Casu marzu takes some time to make at least a few months but the process itself is easy. An infestation of live humans (or animals) by living fly larvae is called myasis. Presto! This creamy, semi-soft, blue-veined cheese is made using unpasteurized milk in the Jura region of France, where it's aged for at least three weeks. Whether or not you think maggots (or other insects) are a suitable substitution for your next hamburger, the Italians that make casu marzu are probably happy to not have to share their delicacy with the world just yet. Adding to the fun is that maggots tend to coil and leap up to 3 feet towards your face as a protective measure. 15 cm., when disturbed) is about half the size of the common house fly: 4,5 mm. There would be no Casu Marzu without maggots. Connoisseurs of authenticity swallow the worms whole, but it's acceptable to remove them before biting into the cheese. The FDA bans French cheeses like Roquefort because E. coli bacteria is present, even though it is harmless version. After some time, tiny translucent white larvae hatch and start gorging on cheese. Copyright Phoenix Media Network. And, that new rules on Novel Foods will pave the way to some solution soon. It's an experience you'll never attain in America, though; the goat's milk is unpasteurized. Los Angeles, California. In the early stages of cheese production, the cheesemaker removes the outer crust, which encourages flies to enter and lay . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". There are a number of fromages bleus (blue cheeses) in France, and since the French invented the use of blue cheese in salad dressing, youre likely to find it spelled as bleu cheese dressing at the restaurant. And made pecorino from the milk of their sheep since Bronze Age. While casu marzu is the most well known maggot cheese its not the only one. Lingering long in the mouth. But since it's unpasteurized, Americans have to travel elsewhere to taste it. We're headed to Borneo. When the eggs hatch, maggots squirm and wiggle in the cheese. But you haven't lived until you've tried this special variety of the famous French cheese. Giuseppe, in contrast to his demeanor on the phone, graciously welcomed us and invited us to enjoy his homemade pasta and exquisite wine. Typically, after about three months, the cheese is ready to eat. To some old-school Italians especially those who live on the island of Sardinia this traditional cheese is the ultimate treat on a summer day.