Casu martzu

Casu martzu is created by leaving whole pecorino cheeses outside with part of the rind removed to allow the cheese fly Piophila casei to lay eggs in the cheese. When the eggs hatch, the larvae begin to eat through the cheese. making the texture of the cheese very soft. By the time it is ready for consumption, a typical casu martzu will contain thousands of maggots. Pecorino is most desirable if made from milk collected towards the end of June, due to the effects of the reproductive cycle of sheep on their lactation, and local fermentation traditions associate higher quality casu martzu with exposure to a warm sirocco wind, which is thought to additionally soften the cheese to encourage further maggot activity. The overall fermentation process takes a total of three months. ==Consumption==

Casu martzu is considered by Sardinian aficionados to be unsafe to eat if the maggots in the cheese have died. Allowances are made for cheese that has been refrigerated, which also quickly kills the maggots. Modern preservation techniques have expanded the cheese's shelf life to several years, where it would previously be unobtainable outside of late summer and early autumn. The flavor is described as "intense", with Mediterranean, pastoral, and spicy notes. The aftertaste is strong enough to remain for hours after a single serving. diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping. ==Health concerns==

It is possible for the larvae to survive the stomach acid and remain in the intestine, leading to a condition called pseudomyiasis. although a report by CNN claims no such cases have been linked to casu marzu. The Guinness World Records listed casu martzu as the world's "most dangerous cheese" in 2009, citing the risk that live larvae can survive digestion and provoke vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea. ==History and legal status==

An Italian journalist for CNN described casu martzus cultural status as "revered", and the unique cheesemaking process combined with the strong, rare taste of the dish are described as icons of the traditional Sardinian pastoral lifestyle. Local gastronome Giovanni Fancello traced the history of Sardinian cuisine to the island's time as a province of the Roman Empire, arguing that "we have always eaten worms, Pliny the Elder and Aristotle talked about it... It's part of our history. We are the sons of this food." Attempts have been made to circumvent the Italian and EU ban by having casu martzu declared a traditional food. Casu martzu is among several cheeses that are not legal in the United States. ==Other regional variations==

Outside of Sardinia, similar milk cheeses are also produced in the French island of Corsica, as a local variation of the Sardinian cheese produced in some Southern villages and known as • in Piedmont; • () in Molise; • Casu puntu in Salento (Apulia); • Casu du quagghiu in Calabria; • Frmag punt in Apulia; • () in Emilia-Romagna; • in Liguria; • Marcetto or cace fraceche in Abruzzo; • Salterello in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Several other regional varieties of cheese with fly larvae are produced in the rest of Europe. For example, goat-milk cheese is left to the open air until P. casei eggs are naturally laid in the cheese. According to Rabbi Chaim Simons of the Orthodox Union, kosher casu martzu can be produced provided that all ingredients are kosher, the rennet comes from a kosher animal slaughtered in accordance with the laws of shechita, and that the cheese is "gevinat Yisrael" (made under Jewish supervision). ==See also==