From a Cave in the Woods...


Astérix and Casu Marzu

Casu Marzu or Maggot Cheese

In Astérix en Corse (Asterix in Corsica), a scene shows Ocatarinetabellatchitchix cutting into a cheese that is unquestionably casu marzu.

Detail      Brindamour

I had always assumed it was just a joke about how strong Corsican cheeses were, and that we were dealing here with Brindamour, a fragrant cheese covered with the herbs which comprise the omnipresent Corsican "maquis" - rosemary, juniper, and peppers.  Just a joke.

To my horror, I discovered that there is such an abomination, and that it doesn't come from Corsica but rather from Sardinia.


Casu Marzu

This is a foodstuff so foul as to defy description, and as a result does not even appear on my Banquet from Hell.

Casu marzu is created by the gastric juices of the thousands of maggots that infest it. When disturbed, these larvae of Piophila casei, the cheese fly, can launch themselves for distances up to 6 inches.

If, as an exercise in self-mortification, you want to know more about this abomination of desolation, I refer you to the Wikipedia article on Casu Marzu.

By the silken breast of Mogg's mother, keep it away!