Cheesy and Fondue, inspired by the Cricket World Cup talk about bugs and cheese. We talk about the grossest cheese, mites and Peta. We learn about a bugs and cheese dish in Boston and learn where you can buy cheese covered edible bugs. And of course, we tell a very cheesy joke!
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Why is cheddar the most dangerous of all the cheeses? Because it is very sharp!
Just cheesy the podcast presented by Just cheesy Productions.
fondue:
Hi there. I'm your host, Fondue.
cheesy:
This is Cheesy.
fondue:
In this week's episode, we're inspired by the Cricket World cup and we're going to talk about bugs and cheese.
cheesy:
What?
fondue:
We're going to talk about the world's grossest cheese. Mice and pita?
cheesy:
No.
fondue:
We're going to learn about a bugs and cheese dish in Boston, and we're gonna learn where you can buy cheese covered edible bugs. And of course, no episode would be complete without our very cheesy joke. Stay tuned for episode 135, cricket on just Cheesy the podcast.
I don't know how many times we can cover this same cheese, but too many. I feel like every time we do, we learn something new.
It's considered the world's most delicious, dangerous cheese or the grossest thing I've ever heard of. And it's none other than Cassio Marzu. Marzu. That's right. To some, I don't know who, but to some, this cheese is considered a delicacy.
It starts off as a pecorino.
cheesy:
Yum.
fondue:
It's made in Sardinia. They say it's smooth and creamy and it has a spicy taste with a hint of bitterness.
You're saying to yourself, gosh, that doesn't sound too bad until I tell you that it's fermented using live maggots.
cheesy:
Maggots?
fondue:
Yeah, that's right. This is our favorite maggot cheese.
cheesy:
Oh, yeah.
fondue:
According to Britannica.com, the word casu marzu means rotten cheese.
cheesy:
Of course it does.
fondue:
Pecorino sardano is made with yuzmil.
cheesy:
Okay.
fondue:
Then a few cuts are made into the rind.
cheesy:
Why?
fondue:
The larva, known as Pyophylla caseae, are introduced to the cheese.
The grubs are allowed to grow ins the cheese paste to encourage, quote, an advanced level of fermentation, one that most people would describe as decomposition.
cheesy:
Oh, my.
fondue:
They say casu marzu is normally eaten with Sardinian bread accompanied by a strong red wine. Yeah, I don't. I don't know. Do you really believe all of this? I mean, come on.
cheesy:
No.
fondue:
Do people really eat this stuff?
cheesy:
No. Who eats this?
fondue:
It says, you know, the maggots should be alive when the cheese is eaten. They're about a third of an inch long. If they're not wriggling the cheese, cheese has become toxic.
cheesy:
Oh, no.
fondue:
Some people prefer to remove the larva before eating. Others devour them. It says. And According to eatcrickster,.com these little guys can jump.
cheesy:
Yeah.
fondue:
Yep, that's right.
cheesy:
Yeah.
fondue:
We've read this before that you wanna, if you're gonna eat this, you wanna cover your face because they can jump as high as nine inches when they're disturbed. Nine inches. And you know, if. Yeah, if you eat it and you. You didn't chew it up really well, it's possible it can live inside you.
cheesy:
Ew. Ew. Ew.
fondue:
In the article here, they've discussed something else that we hadn't considered before.
cheesy:
Oh, man.
fondue:
They say here, ready for one more yuck factor? Seriously? There's more?
cheesy:
No.
fondue:
I mean, come on, right? It says the yummy, creamy, tasty Casu Marzu is what the maggots have pooped.
cheesy:
Holy cow.
fondue:
It says cheese goes into the wormies, but it also has to come out that way.
The irony of this website, eatcrixter.com is this is a website whose mission is to help food enthusiasts, innovators and thought leaders improve their lives and the environment. And yes, to eat bugs. They say they are delicious.
cheesy:
Oh, ew.
fondue:
ness Book of world records in:
cheesy:
Oh my.
fondue:
And apparently this upset the Sardinians.
cheesy:
Really?
fondue:
And it could actually be dangerous.
cheesy:
Okay.
fondue:
If the maggots survive digestion in the stomach, they can travel to the bowels.
cheesy:
Oh, no.
fondue:
And there's a term for this, an infestation of live humans or animals by living fly larva is called myasis. And they do say here that the larva of the cheese fly has the capability of resisting the acid environment of the human stomach up to 120 hours.
on to say though, that since:
cheesy:
Yeah, because who's going to admit it?
fondue:
Casu marzu is currently illegal.
cheesy:
It should be.
fondue:
But this article had a link to a study that was done on edepot wur nl. There is a 68 page master thesis food safety law called Unsafe Casu Marzu.
cheesy:
Why? Why?
fondue:
And the point to this thesis, can Casu marzu be deemed safe?
cheesy:
Why do we want that?
fondue:
Hey, I don't know. I don't know why we want this. We don't to be something we eat. I mean, it's got maggots in it. People Nobody.
cheesy:
Nobody wants it.
fondue:
And it's so gross.
cheesy:
Yeah.
fondue:
The article talks a little bit about not placing casu marzu on the market due to Safet reason and that it's forbidden to market a food product that has been infested by intruders. But they also talk about the shift to insects as an edible, sustainable protein source. One of the risks could be a biochemical risk.
cheesy:
Sure.
fondue:
They say there could be a tyramine, histamine, or probably an NDMA risk for casu marzu. Histamine can cause nausea, sweating, headaches, and hypo or hypertension.
cheesy:
Oh my.
fondue:
The paper looked at some of the health risks of mushrooms and gorgonzola and even oysters.
cheesy:
That's not maggots.
fondue:
The paper did not definitively say whether this cheese is safe, but it's gross. We at Justcheesy, the podcast, do not desire to eat casu marzu.
cheesy:
Nope.
fondue:
Even if it was a sponsor and its ad went right here. Tired of talking about maggots.
cheesy:
Oh, yeah.
fondue:
Let's talk about cheese mites.
cheesy:
Mites?
fondue:
Yeah, that's right. Cheese mites are used to produce cheeses such as milkincas, Cantal, and Mimolette.
According to Wikipedia, these living mites on the surface of the cheeses contribute to the flavor and give them a distinctive appearance. Mimolette has live cheese mites in its rind, and that's thought to contribute to the cheese's distinct rind texture.
According to rennet and rind.co.uk cheese mites are small, soft bodied insects that are part of the Acari family. They live and breed on the surface of aged cheeses. They feed on the proteins and fats in the cheese. Of course, Stilton is also a cheese mite cheese.
cheesy:
Come on.
fondue:
This is a semi soft cheese. It's produced in the uk.
cheesy:
Okay?
fondue:
And during the production process, the cheese is pierced with a stainless steel needle which allows the cheese mites to enter.
cheesy:
Knock it off.
fondue:
They colonize the surface. They create small tunnels in the cheese, and this allows air to circulate through the cheese, ultimately resulting in the iconic blue mold.
And we all know that you can use something called annatto to color cheese.
cheesy:
Is it bugs?
fondue:
It's made from tree bark.
cheesy:
Okay.
fondue:
But did you know that there's also another food dye and an additive that's made from none other than bugs?
cheesy:
Why?
fondue:
ing to Forbes.com back in the:
It's used in strawberry Flavored Yoplait, Blueberry Denon Yogurt, Ocean Spray Ruby Red Grapefruit, Betty Crocker's Red Velvet Cake Mix. It's in frozen sausage and it makes your fake crab meat look real. Do you know what it's made of?
cheesy:
Yeah. Bugs.
fondue:
And according to supportpeta.com, the shiny hard shells on Junior Mints, Red Hots, Lemonheads, and Boston Baked Beans are glazed with secretions from lac bugs. It takes about 100,000 bugs to produce one pound of of shellac flakes. And this is combined with alcohol to make confectioners glaze.
cheesy:
Holy cow.
fondue:
Apparently even Tootsie Rolls. The shine on them is made from this bug glaze. A lot of companies are changing to vegan alternatives.
According to orderbostonpizza.com there is something called bugs and cheese on their menu.
cheesy:
Oh, come on.
fondue:
This is not an actual bug dish. This is colorful bug shaped pasta pizza, mozzarella and Alfredo sauce.
cheesy:
Yum.
fondue:
But oh no, if you want some real bugs, 21bites.com has party bugs, Party bugs, Blue cheese mealworms. This is dried larva and a spice mix. No allergens are listed. Mealworms. Of course. Lactose.
cheesy:
Yeah.
fondue:
It says people who are allergic to shellfish, mollusks or mites may also be allergic to insects. And not to be outdone, but ebay, Hot Licks Cricket. Bacon and cheese flavored.
And this one says, whether you're buying them to gross out your children or you desire a savory and crunchy treat, Hot Licks Crickettes will get the job done.
cheesy:
I'm ready for a joke fond too.
fondue:
Oh my gosh. Yes, please.
cheesy:
Yeah.
fondue:
What is a bug's favorite cheese?
cheesy:
Who cares?
fondue:
Mozzarella.
cheesy:
Oh no. Get it?
fondue:
Mozzarella.
cheesy:
That's kind of gross.
fondue:
Oh, I know. This one was gross and a little bit cheesy. Thanks for listening to Just Cheesy, the podcast, episode 135. Cricket.
cheesy:
Thank you.
fondue:
Check out some of our previous episodes where we talk about this wonderful cheese, casu marzu
