{"id":5968,"date":"2014-04-02T12:47:12","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T16:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2014-04-02T12:50:04","modified_gmt":"2014-04-02T16:50:04","slug":"casu-marzu-aka-maggot-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/casu-marzu-aka-maggot-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Casu Marzu (aka Maggot Cheese)"},"content":{"rendered":"

While most of us go to great lengths to prevent maggots in our food, Casu Marzu, a traditional Sardinian cheese, features them in all their live, wriggling glory (or should that be gory?) <\/p>\n

How it\u2019s Made<\/h3>\n

The cheese is steeped in history and has been made by Sardinians for hundreds of years. Sans maggots, it\u2019s similar to pecorino: an Italian cheese made from sheep\u2019s milk. The main difference is that after it\u2019s made, a hole is cut in the top and the cheese is placed outdoors where cheese flies (Piophila casei<\/i>) can find it and use it as a cheap hotel room for trysts and baby making. <\/p>\n

Why would you want flies to lay eggs in your cheese? Well, the eggs hatch to become maggots and these larval flies eat the cheese, leaving behind excretions of pre-digested fats, proteins, and sugars. Basically, the larvae are fermenting the cheese to an extreme degree. While cheeses that are aged in ways we\u2019re more familiar and comfortable with tend to lose moisture while developing flavor, casu marzu becomes very soft as it develops flavor. <\/p>\n

Hazards of Dining<\/h3>\n

Aside from the sheer cringe factor of eating live worms (Sardinians believe that the cheese is unsafe to eat when the maggots have died) eating casu marzu can be logistically challenging. The maggots in the cheese get upset when the cheese is disturbed and can actually jump around. And when I write jump, I don\u2019t mean inch around a little, I mean launch themselves for distances of up to 6 inches! To prevent their meal from literally hopping off the plate, diners will hold a hand above the cheese spread bread slice as they raise it to their mouth. Personally, if I were to try it I\u2019d go with some stylish onion goggles<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Not Alone<\/h3>\n

While casu marzu is the most well known \u201cmaggot cheese\u201d it\u2019s not the only one. Other cheese known for containing live insect larvae include:<\/p>\n