JAKARTA - A cheese from the island of Sardinia in Italy called casu marzu, in 2009 was named the most dangerous cheese in the world by the Guinness World Record. The cheese made the viewer shudder because it was full of maggots.
Quoting CNN, Friday, April 2, 2021, cheese flies or Piophila casei help to decompose sheep's milk, the basic ingredient of casu marzu. When the maggots hatch from these eggs in motion, they break down the protein into cream. This moment is not for the faint of heart.
At this point, the maggots inside began to squirm. Some of the locals spin the cheese to combine the maggots with the cheese. For people who like adrenaline, they open their mouths and try the chocolate cheese.
For those who are able to overcome disgust, casu marzu has a strong flavor, with a reminder of the Mediterranean pasture and spicy, with a taste that lasts hours. But you need to know, the consumption of casu marzu is dangerous for human health.
This is because the maggots in the cheese can survive the bite and create myiasis, a micro-perforation in the intestine. So far, however, no such case has been linked to the casu marzu.
Old culture of the SardiniansThe Sardinians have been eating them and their maggots for centuries. However, casu marzu is still banned from commercial sales.
"Maggots are the charm and pleasure of this cheese," says Paolo Solinas, a 29-year-old Sardinian gastronomist.
He said some Sardinians were horrified at the thought of casu mizu. But others who have been very familiar with the making of casu mizu for life shamelessly love the strong taste.
"Some pastors see cheese as a unique personal pleasure, something only a select few can try," added Solinas.
Casu marzu is registered as a traditional product of the Island of Sardinia and is therefore locally protected. Even so, the cheese has been considered illegal by the Italian government since 1962.
This is due to laws that prohibit the consumption of food infected with parasites. Those who sell the cheese can face hefty fines of up to 50,000 euros.
But the Sardinians only laugh when asked about the ban on their favorite cheese. In 2005, researchers from the University of Sassari Sardinia made the first steps of an experiment with raising flies in a laboratory.
They then put maggots in the pecorino cheese to show that the process could happen in a controlled manner. The islanders of Sardinia and researchers hope that the European Union will soon take a decision in their favor.
Until then, anyone wanting a taste will need to wonder when they get to Sardinia. For those who want to put off worrying about what they eat, eating casu marzu offers an authentic experience given that there are no boundaries to what can be eaten or what cannot be eaten.
* Read other information about CULINARY or read other interesting writings from Putri Ainur Islam.
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