Casu Marzu vs Formaggio di Fossa
Casu Marzu
Facts
- Milk
- Sheep
- Texture
- Soft
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Sardinia
Casu Marzu is a traditional sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia, in Italy, and it is not a cheese for ordinary shops. Makers start with a firm pecorino and leave the wheel where cheese flies can lay eggs in the paste. Larvae then break the cheese down until the center is very soft, sharp, and pungent. You will not find it in a supermarket case. Food rules do not treat it as a normal commercial cheese, and eating live larvae can be unsafe.
Formaggio di Fossa
Facts
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- No rind
- Country
- Italy
- Status
- PDO
Formaggio di Fossa is an Italian cheese aged in underground pits. The name means cheese of the pit, and the closed chamber is what sets it apart from other firm cheeses. Wheels are wrapped, stacked, and sealed in the rock until the paste turns irregular, moist, and strongly aromatic. The name is protected. Makers may use one milk or a blend, so two wheels from the same method can still taste different.