Rotten cheese: a delicacy for intrepid gourmets

Did you think that cheese with blue mold is a delicacy "not for everyone"? Still, mold is associated with something not very pleasant and, of course, not edible. But such varieties as "Dor Blue", "Garganzola" and others have long become familiar in our diet and do not cause any kind of misunderstanding. But the next product, which will be discussed, really can be called a delicacy for the elite. The rotten cheese Casu marzu, made in Sardinia, is listed as the most dangerous food on the planet. And his look shocked even by far from nervous people. Serve him to the table with a warning about the danger from the Ministry of Health, and in the EU this product is completely banned for production and sale.

The process of cooking a dangerous delicacy

The basis from which the rotten cheese is made is completely harmless - it is pressed sheep's milk. It is a normal and even useful food product. But what happens to him next? The main production of Casu marzu cheese takes place outdoors, where it is "cooked up" by insects. Flies, called cheese, flocks "attack" this cheese and lay their eggs in it (right under the crust).

This lasts until the level of contamination of the product reaches the required level. After that, the cheese is brought into a special storehouse, where the larvae of those very flies are taken for the work. They eat and digest cheese. The process of decay of fats in it is accelerated, why it acquires a soft consistency. Now it is already really rotten cheese with a sharp, very sharp smell and the same taste. It is finally ready to be consumed after three months of such a very unusual and even shocking process of preparation.

What threatens the use of such a "delicacy"?

Not so many who decide to try this "exotic" dish. Although desperate gourmets still meet. However, they risk not only their psychological state, but also their physical health. In the first case, the appearance of the cheese is frightening , the larvae in which, troubled by the use of the product, begin to literally jump out of it (their jumps can reach as much as 15 centimeters). By the way, in some places where this delicacy is served, they eat it blindfolded, so as not to spoil your appetite and calmly enjoy this "yummy". As for the insecurity of cheese for health, this is due to the following. The larvae eaten together with the product can penetrate into the intestines, breaking the integrity of its mucous membranes. As a result, there is intestinal poisoning, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, as well as more severe consequences. After all, the enzymes released by these larvae are far from useful to the human body.

That is why in a number of countries strictly prohibited rotten cheese - delicacy is dangerous, for many just nasty. However, farmers in the north of Italy (Bergamo and Piemonte) and in Sardinia this does not stop. They carefully store and pass from generation to generation the recipe for this unusual cheese, which has been prepared for more than one century. Curious and fearless tourists with pleasure (!) Try this shocking ordinary man "delicacy." Well, as they say, "the taste and color" ...