The world’s most dangerous cheese contains live maggots

Cheese is one of the most popular foods around the world. Today, there are hundreds of variations on sale and festivals around the world are held to showcase some of the rarer varieties. But, the Casu marzu is one cheese that has connoisseurs around the world up in arms as some call it an aphrodisiac while others claim it’s the most dangerous cheese that exists today.

Casu marzu is a cheese produced exclusively on the Italian island of Sardinia. In 2009, the Guinness World Record organisation proclaimed the world's most dangerous cheese because it’s made using live maggots.

Cheese skipper flies, known as Piophila casei, lay their eggs in cracks that form in the cheese which is usually made from fiore sardo – the island's salty pecorino. Over time, maggots hatch inside the cheese and make their way through the paste, digesting proteins in the process and transforming the product into a soft creamy cheese.

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As more time elapses, the cheese cracks at the top, which is almost untouched by maggots, and is scooped up to enjoy.

The controversial cheese is often adapted by spinning the cheese through a centrifuge to merge the maggots with the cheese but many prefer enjoying the cheese with the live maggots squirming around.

Many call the cheese an aphrodisiac, but others claim that eating maggots is extremely dangerous for their health. CNN reports that maggots could survive the bite and create myiasis, micro-perforations in the intestine.

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As a result of the health risks, the cheese is banned from commercial sale but Sardinians still enjoy the controversial cheese regularly.

"The maggot infestation is the spell and delight of this cheese," says Paolo Solinas, a 29-year-old Sardinian gastronome.

However, the cheese has been deemed illegal by the Italian government since 1962 due to laws that prohibit the consumption of food infected by parasites. Those who sell the cheese can be fined up to R860,000, but Sardinians are undeterred and refuse to let the fine remove an important part of their heritage.

Would you try this delicacy? Let Vic know in the comment section below.

Image courtesy: CNN