Talk:Casu martzu

References not real science

Those references aren't real science!!! Armed force manual??? Book of disgusting thing???

--Pleiade (talk) 16:05, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

Paper bag

It is of course nonsense that larvae when put in a paper bag will be starved of oxygen; 1) paper bags are porous and oxygen can enter freely and 2) even if put in an airtight container it would take days for them to suffocate. The larvae, moreover, apparently can survive a trip through the low-oxygen environment of the human intestine. Probably they just jump about and as there are more places where there is no cheese than where there is in such a bag, most end up elsewhere rather than in the cheese sandwich. Bart (talk) 10:47, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

This is funny, but a lot of it isn't true

Take a look at the list of references if you have any doubts. SethTisue (talk) 04:06, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

lulz

An anon posted a link to this article on 4chan not to long ago which has resulted in some vandalism. Perhaps it would be a good idea to lock the article against further edits until all the excitement dies down? And no, Milhouse is still not a meme. 166.137.137.149 (talk) 06:21, 8 March 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.137.137.149 (talk) 06:19, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Dead maggots

"Casu marzu is considered toxic when the maggots in the cheese have died. Because of this, only cheese in which the maggots are still alive is eaten." - According to Ben Hills (The Island of the Ancients, 2008) if the maggots are dead this means the cheese might be somewhat past its prime, but it is still eaten particularly if it has been stored at low temperatureBenvenuto (talk) 07:23, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

Health concerns

The health concerns are mostly about myiasis a condition causes when maggots survive the digestion process and live in the intestines before being passed. However as the section points out this does occur with the species of fly used in the cheese, but rather with species of other flies in particular FRUIT FLIES which I feel like Captain Obvious but, what is the relevance of discussing FRUIT flies in a CHEESE article?

Not only that it goes on to say that no cases of the condition have been reported from eating the cheese. It does however mention a case of myiasis... involving a species of fly unrelated to the Cheese Fly in a case with no apparent connection to the cheese. While relevant on an article about the condition it is meaningless and unneeded here.

Now maybe if the section was saying that while eating the maggots of the cheese fly is harmless but there were concerns about the wrong sort of larvae living in the cheese which could cause the condition that would be fine. However the entire section seems to be written with fear and gross factors being the defining factor. 203.51.44.37 (talk) 04:21, 19 June 2012 (UTC)

I agree. Although there are citations, they are only for the definition of myiasis. There's no citations supporting its occurrence with this cheese, and it's therefore unencyclopedic scaremongering to include it. I see it's also been removed previously (after being added by an anon IP), so between that editor, you, and now me there's three who think it should not be included. I will attempt removal again. Rcpdavies1939 (talk) 09:23, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Other countries

This is also a thing in Malta. Made with the local sheep milk cheeselets called Ġbejna. During a trip there, my mother (who was born there and emigrated to the US in the 1950s) mentioned it is a specialty. Never saw it in stores, so must have fallen out of favor or legality. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.140.96.178 (talk) 15:24, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

List of foods that have been banned?

This could be added to a list like that. It's not banned anymore, but it has in the past, according to the wikipedia for the cheese. Please take this with a slim of salt

Wiki Education assignment: SSC199 TY4

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 8 November 2022 and 16 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Apple1421 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Alanag2004, Ohaew04.

— Assignment last updated by Alanag2004 (talk) 13:56, 1 December 2022 (UTC)

Tradition section reads like a brochure

Extended use of "you" feels off tone, and seems to blithely reiterate points made earlier in the article. 2600:100F:B1BA:569A:617D:C2CA:DB32:EB3D (talk) 00:04, 22 August 2023 (UTC)

"illegal"?

They say the cheese is "not legal" or "banned" in the US and EU, but doesn't explain what that actually means. I assume it means that you can't produce and sell it, or maybe even distribute it, not that in theory they will come and kick down your door because you decided to make and eat some food they have declared that you can't make? Not that I expect anyone would actually do that, but legally what does it actually mean? In the US you can't sell raw milk, but it's not illegal to go and milk your own cow and drink it. You just can't market it. I think that covers giving it away, although obviously that is hard to define exactly. But being the EU who knows, I can imagine them trying to ban even the personal production of a cheese. I thought most EU laws focused on trading between nations, because most things are internal affairs of the state (although that is certainly not always the case).

And does it only penalize making it, or is it illegal to possess? Does eating a piece count as "possession"? How did Gordon Ramsay feature it on TV if it's illegal? Idumea47b (talk) 09:22, 1 July 2024 (UTC)

Kosher?

"According to Rabbi Chaim Simons of the Orthodox Union, kosher casu martzu can be produced provided that all ingredients are kosher, the rennet comes from a kosher animal slaughtered in accordance with the laws of shechita, and that the cheese is "gevinat Yisrael" (made under Jewish supervision)."

One of the ingredients is fly larvae. Is there really such a thing as "Kosher maggots"? Where does one obtain these? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.95.43.253 (talk) 22:03, 12 September 2025 (UTC)

Loss of Charm

I miss the old phrasing of the Consumption section. Can we bring back "pitter patter" please?

"Some who eat the cheese prefer not to ingest the maggots. Those who do not wish to eat them place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, writhe and jump in the bag, creating a "pitter-patter" sound. When the sounds subside, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten."

Truly one of the best sections on Wikipedia; deserves to be reinstated. ~2025-37118-36 (talk) 06:20, 29 November 2025 (UTC)