Features of making Kasu Marzu cheese. Useful and dangerous properties. How wormy cheese is eaten, interesting facts about it.
Casu Marzu is a rotten or wormy cheese, mainly made in Italy in Sardinia from a certain type of fermented milk product - pecorino sardo. Head shape - cylinder, diameter - 20-25 cm, height - 8-10 cm, weight - 5-6 kg. The crust is hard, moldy, dirty yellow, inedible. Smell - rot, the color of the flesh eaten by the larvae of a cheese fly (popiophila - Piophila casei), can be yellowish-white, grayish-brown, creamy white; texture - creamy, tender pasty or mushy, with the inclusion of liquid - cheese tears (lagrima). Taste - spicy-burning, aftertaste is felt within 2-3 hours. This product is considered one of the most dangerous and even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. In isolated cases, the use ended in death.
How is Kasu Marzu cheese made?
The production of the product is officially protected by origin. The starting material is sheep's milk. At the initial stage, Casu Marzu cheese is made like Pecorino Sardo. Some sources indicate a different variety inhabited by cheese flies - Pecorino Romano, but still more often they use the recipe for the original Sardinian cheese.
The heads are prepared from November to June, after the lambing of the sheep. Milk is curdled with rennet, heated to 45 ° C, and left for a day. Cala is cut, stirred at 38-45 ° C, part of the whey is poured out and the cheese grains are settled. And then, in order to cook Kasu Marzu, the curd mass is laid out in forms by hand.
After pressing, which lasts about a day, salting is carried out. If during the preparation of Pecorino the brine concentration is 20-22%, then in this case it is reduced by 4-6%.
Further, several holes are made in the surface of the formed heads and a drop of olive oil is added to each to attract cheese flies. Some cheesemakers, to be sure of the quality of the product, add winged helpers themselves. A few days later, when the popiophiles have already hatched, the heads are left in caves for fermentation - it is forbidden to turn them over. The cylinders are placed close enough to each other, and even on top of each other, so that the larvae can move freely.
The readiness of Kasu Marzu worm cheese is determined by opening the crust - the cheese lid. There are no precise parameters that indicate quality. Some lovers prefer a semi-liquid consistency, others rather softened cheese pulp with popiophiles teeming. The duration of fermentation is from 3 to 6 months. If the larvae are dead, the product will have to be disposed of.
Composition and calorie content of Kasu Marzu cheese
The pungent burning taste of the product is caused by parasites that trigger the putrefaction mechanism. The main food of the larvae is milk protein and lipids, which, passing through the intestinal tract of cheese worms, are transformed into quickly digestible compounds.
The nutritional value of the original variety is 380 kcal, but the calorie content of Kasu Marzu cheese is estimated at 340-400 kcal per 100 g
100 g of the original product - Pecorino Sardo - contains 31 g of proteins and 27 g of fat. But the components of the biomass of the larvae should also be taken into account - 53 g of protein and 6 g of animal fat.
Vitamins and organic acids are transformed after forced fermentation, but minerals are preserved.
As part of Kasu Marzu cheese:
- Calcium is the main constituent of the building material for the skeletal system;
- Potassium - normalizes blood pressure and is responsible for heart contractions;
- Magnesium - stimulates the pancreas and controls the production of insulin;
- Phosphorus - distributes energy throughout the body.
Cheese fly larvae contain amino acids that have an effect on the human body. Most of them are:
- Tyrosine is necessary for the correction of neurophysiological processes, but at the same time it has an aggressive effect on the mucous membrane of the digestive organs.
- Arginine - stimulates the regenerative functions of organic tissues and increases blood pressure.
- Tryptophan - reduces hyperactivity and accelerates the growth of children, but when oversupplied, causes frequent migraine attacks.
- Histidine - is transformed in the body into hemoglobin, strengthens the immune system, but increases the likelihood of developing allergic reactions.
It is difficult to calculate the exact chemical composition of Kasu Marz with live larvae. The life cycle of a cheese fly is 6-20 days. During this time, she lays eggs, from which larvae hatch (active phase - 3-4 days). Then pupae form, and adult flies fly out, in turn increasing the amount of biomass. The cheese head simultaneously contains thousands of larvae and pupae, as well as their waste products. The total amount of minerals, amino acids and organic acids is constantly changing.
Useful properties of Kasu Marzu cheese
The variety is considered extremely dangerous, but this does not mean that it only has a harmful effect on the human body.
Benefits of Casu Marzu cheese:
- Strengthens bones, teeth and bone tissue.
- Improves impulse conductivity.
- Increases the acidity of gastric juice, increases the release of hydrochloric acid.
- Stimulates the work of the pancreas.
- Moderate consumption speeds up peristalsis and stabilizes the cleansing of the body from accumulated toxins and toxins.
After processing and accelerated fermentation, the transformed milk protein and minerals are fully absorbed by the body.
Old people and patients suffering from chronic dysbiosis are given a small piece of worm-like product, completely removing the larvae. This dietary supplement increases appetite and relieves intestinal congestion.
Rotten cheese Casu Marz is especially useful for men. It is valued as an aphrodisiac, has a beneficial effect on potency, improves erection and prolongs the time of coitus. In addition, it increases the tone of the body, therefore, after the sexual intercourse is over, men do not fall asleep. This is very pleasing to women and helps partners to bond on an emotional level.
Contraindications and harm to Kas Marz
The negative effect of cheese on the human body is due to the ingress of toxins into the stomach, which are released during the life of the cheese fly larvae. These foods increase the production of histamine, which can cause allergic reactions of various types … May appear: itching and redness of the skin, rashes, asthmatic attacks, digestive disorders.
Casu Marz cheese causes harm in people with any diseases of the digestive system, with renal or hepatic insufficiency, in case of dysfunction of the gallbladder or dyskinesia of the bile ducts. An increase in the acidity of gastric juice has an aggressive effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. There are pains in the epigastric region, flatulence, bouts of colitis, nausea and vomiting.
Eating cheese can provoke development of dysbiosis, and in persons with low immunity - intestinal infection.
Despite the fact that in Sardinia, Casu Marzu cheese is given to teenagers and pregnant women, for those unfamiliar with this taste, consumption can have serious consequences. It is especially dangerous to eat wormy cheese together with larvae. If the acidity of the gastric juice is reduced, these worms do not die, but populate the intestines of the "eater" and try to drill through the mucous membrane. This often happens, after which symptoms appear indicating intestinal perforation - an acute abdomen, severe pain, bloody diarrhea. The tasting can end in failure - an operation on the abdominal cavity or, if it is impossible to provide medical assistance on time, with a fatal outcome.
When cutting Casu Marz, you should close your eyes or close your eyes. Cheese fly larvae have one peculiarity - they can jump to a height of 15 cm. A blow to the cornea is painful and can provoke serious injury, up to and including detachment of the retina.
You cannot eat Katsu Martz if the popiophiles have died. Such a head is considered hopelessly damaged. The toxins that were produced during the life of the larvae, after their death, were transformed into a deadly poison. Ingestion can lead to death. Even if the cheese was cut, and the death of popiophiles began after that, the piece should be thrown away.
Read more about contraindications and dangers of Pecorino Sardo
How is Kasu Marzu cheese eaten?
The product can be consumed with or without live larvae. When doing this, take into account the ability of the cheese fly larva to jump. It bends in an arc, touching both ends of the body, and expands like a spring. Thanks to this ability, you can quickly remove popiophiles from cheese and enjoy the taste, reducing the harmful effects on the body. The head is cut, wrapped in a dense cling film, depriving the larvae of oxygen. Pops are clearly heard - the larvae leave the cheese pulp. Now you need to remove the film, shake off the "worms", and you can start tasting.
Everything should be done very quickly. If popiophiles die on the surface of Kasu Marz, the expensive product will have to be thrown away. As mentioned, it has already become toxic.
On the basis of this variety, no other dishes are prepared - they eat Kasu Marza separately, enjoying the original taste, with Sardinian pane carasau flat cakes. If the texture is soft, viscous, then the cheese is cut and smeared on flat cakes, liquid - the pulp is scooped up with spoons and eaten with a bite. In Italy, hot stones are used to bake them, but they can also be cooked in the oven.
Tortillas for Casu Marzu - recipe from Sardinia:
- Mix wheat flour - 400 g, semolina - 100 g, dry yeast - 2 tsp, sugar - 1 tbsp. l., a little salt. Knead the smooth dough, which falls behind the hands, adding 300 ml of warm water.
- Cover the kneading with a cotton towel and leave in a warm place for 3 hours to allow the dough to come up.
- Knead the dough again, roll it into a sausage, cut into 22-25 identical pieces, roll each of them in a thin layer - preferably to make a circle, and lay out on a linen towel. Cover with a second towel.
- Preheat the oven, setting it to maximum power, preheat the baking sheets.
- Spread out one cake at a time, wait until the dough swells like a ball, immediately turn it over, leave for 15-20 seconds so that a crispy crust appears on the other side.
- Remove the baked goods from the baking sheet, cut into 2 parts lengthwise, spread on a towel, cover with a cloth on top and put oppression.
It is these thin cakes that are usually served with delicious rotten cheese.
During the meal, alcoholic beverages are not consumed. Even the most high-quality and expensive alcohol suppresses the sensitivity of the receptors of the oral mucosa - you will not be able to fully enjoy the exquisite taste of Casu Marz.
Interesting facts about Kasu Marzu cheese
Tourists visiting Sardinia joke that tasting a fermented milk worm product is a great opportunity to hand spoiled and stale goods to tourists. There is some truth in this statement.
The origin of Kasu Marzu is associated with a violation of the recipe in the manufacture of the Sardinian Pecorino, which is why cheese flies were wound up in the heads. (This also happens during the ripening of other varieties, if the concentration of the brine is reduced). It became a pity to dispose of a large batch of the product, and they decided to try the cheese. The taste seemed interesting, and in the future, the variety began to be made specially.
There is another theory of the emergence of this variety, associated with social conditions. Meat was rare in the diet of the poor in Sardinia, and the only source of animal protein was dairy products. The greedy feudal lords completely ripped off the dependent peasants, and they were left with only spoiled cheese. Therefore, it was used to restore energy reserves. So the larvae in the product came in handy.
It is not known which theory of origin is correct, who was the first to invent such a cheese and when, but the inhabitants of Sardinia say that the history of the variety goes back centuries.
In 2000, worm cheese was banned from exporting and selling on the territory of the country as it did not meet sanitary and hygienic standards. To protect the variety, in 2004 the Ministry of Agriculture regulated the manufacturing processes of the product. And in 2005, scientists from the University of Sassari, together with farmers in Sardinia, bred a special cheese fly. Now the production of Kas Marz is carried out according to strict rules, but the status of DOP has not yet been assigned. Manufacturers, when trying to popularize their product and export it abroad, face heavy fines.
The preparation of Casu Marz is not limited to the territory of Sardinia. In different parts of the country they make their own "rotten cheese", only under different names:
- In Abruzzo - Marcetto;
- In Emilia-Romagna - Furmai nis;
- In Friuli - Salterello.
The price of Casu Marzu cheese outside the territory of Sardinia can be 600-1000 USD. for 1 kg
Watch a video about Kasu Marzu cheese:
