Italian Maggot Cheese

Don’t freak out.

Yes, this cheese has maggots in it. And, yes. You’re supposed to eat it.

But wait! There’s more!

It’s $100 per pound.

Let me explain . . .

It’s called Cazu Marzu, a Pecorino-derived delicacy officially produced in Sardinia, Italy and made from sheep’s milk. You know how real Champagne can only come from the Champagne region in France? Well, true Cazu Marzu comes from Sardinia.

Apparently in the early stages of their development, the maggots secrete a particular enzyme that gives this cheese a pungent and singular flavor – this enzyme fermentation actually rots the cheese, but also makes it soft and flavorful. The catch is you have to eat the Cazu Marzu while the maggots are still alive - otherwise the cheese becomes toxic.

*NOTE* Yes, by eating maggots one also runs the risk of getting the nasty larval infection known as enteric myiasis which can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody poopie.

So why eat it in the first place?

Tradition – already outlawed, the EU lifted the ban recently calling Cazu Marzu a regional traditional delicacy due to the fact that is has been produced with the same recipe for over 25 years.

As if you haven’t purchased a bottle of tequila with the worm at the bottom? Weird foods like this can be found around the world. And people make actual money off these strange epicuriosities.

And honestly, I’d kill to make Italian Maggot Cheese for a living. I mean, have you seen Sardinia lately?

 

Living a simple life by making a traditional product in a beautiful country, filled with history and culture -

 

I rest my case. 

 


For more on Italian Maggot Cheese, watch this clip from Gordon Ramsey’s “F Word.”