Casu Marzu – I Ate It

This is the infamous casu marzu cheese. It’s a cheese with quite the reputation, and I am here to tell the tale of my time with it.

Casu marzu is a traditional Sardinian cheese most notable for its extreme fermentation due to the presence of the larvae of Piophila casei, a cheese fly. The cheese starts out as a pecorino but turns into something quite different, thanks to this fly. It lays its eggs and the larvae go to town on it, digesting the cheese and breaking down its fat.

The worms are apparently unhappy when disturbed, and it’s reported that they can launch themselves up to 6 inches, presumably in the direction of the person who is doing the disturbing.Thankfully, I did not encounter any of these creatures. My friend kept looking for the worm but it was nowhere to be seen. However, I am still alive, so the cheese wasn’t toxic; the little worms were just hiding.

I was given the smallest bit of cheese off the end of a knife, and it packed quite a punch in both the flavor and aroma departments. It’s a bit salty, and extremely stinky; also extremely soft. I could tell it was highly fermented by the smell, and I made the mistake of taking the cheese off the knife with my fingers. I had to wash them like 6 times to get the smell off my hands!

Anyway, I tasted it and it was intense. Just… OMG, wow. I asked for bread and put the remaining bit of cheese on it. That helped quite a bit, actually, as far as diluting the intensity. I understand that this cheese is best paired with strong red wine, and I can totally see why that is. I would think a big fat Zinfandel would be great with it.

Though I can’t imagine seeking out this cheese with purpose, I’m glad I tried it. It surely was a taste adventure!