The insects at the table have made headlines, thanks to the new regulation on Novel Food. (1) But precisely in Italy – where the Ministry of Health has taken a cautious stance towards 'new foods' – is rooted the ancient tradition of cheese with worms. Or better, with the larvae. In Sardinia and beyond.
Casu marsu, ancient cheese of Sardinia
the casu marsu , or casu frazigu – cheese with worms, or the little fly – is registered in the list of Traditional Agri-food Products (PAT) of the Sardinia Region. (2) It is a typical product, made with raw sheep's milk using ancestral cheesemaking techniques, according to nature. The cheese is left to mature in an external environment to attract the cheese fly. (3)
The Piophila casei penetrates the crust and lays eggs from which many larvae hatch, which activate a proteolytic decomposition/maturation process that gives the paste a soft consistency. The internal maturation of the paste takes about 3 months, when the proteolytic action of the larvae reaches its peak. Production is seasonal, from late spring to late autumn, as it is closely linked to temperature and microclimate. However, aging can continue to increase the consistency of the casu.
In Sardinia the casu marsu has always accompanied the family production of pecorino. A virtue born of necessity, as some years the fly attacked more than half of the cheeses, as old shepherds still remember. Pungent odor, strong aroma, very strong and spicy flavor. With scents and aromas reminiscent of the aromatic essences of the Mediterranean scrub. The cheese is creamy inside and is spread on bread, where it best expresses its liveliness appreciated also by foodies more hardcore.
Cheeses with larvae, regional traditions in Italy
The peninsula when you look closely, it preserves several regional traditions of cheeses with larvae. Products similar to casu marsu are indeed:
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the 'marcetto' or cace fraceche of Abruzzo,
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the 'gorgonzola with crickets' (where the allegorical reference to crickets represents the larvae moving in the cheese), in the inland of Genoa,
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the ‘salterello’ of Friuli,
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the furmai nis (formaggio nisso) from Emilia,
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the frmag punt from Bari,
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the casu du quagghiu Calabrian,
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the caciè punt from Molise,
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the bross ch’a marcia (walking cheese) Piedmontese,
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the casu puntu from Salento.
10 Italian regions out of 20 can therefore boast centuries-old experiences of production and consumption of cheeses with larvae. Theentomophagy is not widespread in this case (as it is instead, for example, for le lumawhich live in the soil), because these are family productions mainly for domestic use. However, it is worth considering that the regulation ‘Novel Food’ does not apply in such cases, provided that consumption experience prior to 1997 can be demonstrated. (4)
Dario Dongo and Alfonso Piscopo
Notes
(1) Cf. EU reg. 2015/2283
(2) The Register of Traditional Agri-food Products (PAT) was established by legislative decree 173/98, ‘Provisions regarding cost containment in production and structural strengthening of agricultural enterprises (…). Some examples, with notes on the related regulation on https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/notizie/prodotti-agricoli-tradizionali-risponde-lassociazione-dario-dongo/. Il caasu becciu, casu fattittu, casu marzu, hasu muhidu, formaggio marcio is described in the Identification Sheet of Traditional Products of the Sardinia Region, cheese area, on pages 12-13 of the published document http://www.regione.sardegna.it/documenti/1_38_20160920145158.pdf
(3) Sardinian breeders asked entomologists from the University of Sassari to create larvae of Piophila caseiin a sterile environment, to increase the level qualitative of the productions,
(4) 'Proven proof' in the case of Sardinian cheese, in view of its registration in the register of Traditional Agri-Food Products. The 18th revision of the national PAT register, updated at the beginning of 2018, is available on the MiPAAFT website https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/12327
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Veterinary Director of the Provincial Health Authority of Agrigento and member of the scientific committee 'Eurocarni', he is the author and co-author of hundreds of scientific and non-scientific articles in national and international sector journals.
