casu marzu

chained_bear Asativum, what about protective headgear?! Didn't it fight back?! Oct 5, 2010

Prolagus TZounds delicious! Sep 30, 2010

frogapplause This term has not yet been assimilated into English. If it were English, this would be an acceptable way to say it. The pronunciation recorded below by Prolagus is indigenous. --(chelster, see pronunciations)

Would you like some indigenous nudity with your casu marTzu, Pro? Sep 29, 2010

frogapplause P.S. I miss skipvia (aka magnificent bastard). Good thing he's still around on Facebook. And Frindley, too. Where have all the Frindleys gone... long time passing... where have all the Frindleys gone... long time ago? Sep 29, 2010

frogapplause Did you eat your casu marzu on carasau, asativum? I would love to visit Sardinia. Sep 29, 2010

asativum Just to reassure Pro, and let everyone else know: This summer I had the good fortune to be in Sardinia (Calasetta, specifically), and we happened upon a streetside sausage vendor who was very generous with samples, despite the language barrier. (His English was as absent as my Italian and Sardi.) Then I noticed the handwritten sign: Casu marzu. I couldn't remember why that was so familiar. I said it as best I could. The vendor lit up. "Casu marzu tradicional, he said enthusiastically.

Lifting the corner of a canvas covering at one end of his table, he sliced off a bit of cheese for my companion. It was delicious. Another sample came: Creamier, and apparently heavenly in flavor, unlike any other cheese: Smoky, salty, tangy. Remarkably delicious -- quite possibly the best cheese ever tasted. Not long after, of course, Wikipedia reminded me that I had first learned of this delicacy right here on Wordnik (neé Wordie). And hey, no enteric myiasis yet! Or any other ill effects that we can identify, for that matter. Sep 22, 2010

PossibleUnderscore 'To be served with a strong red wine' says Wikipedia. Ha! Maybe you have to be a little bit tipsy to eat it. ;-) Oct 17, 2009

reesetee As well you should be, sionnach. As well you should be. Jul 13, 2009

sionnach is proud about having introduced this to Wordie. Jul 10, 2009

rolig Interesting. Thanks, Pro! I am alway fascinated by how languages interact. Feb 2, 2009

Prolagus They are speaking Italian, with a strong Southern Sardinian accent and a few words coming from that dialect of Sardinian language.
For example: at 1'00'' they say "A me lo date un passaggio?" (Sardinian-influenced Italian, "can I get a lift?"
At 3'30'' they speak Italian.
Song at 4'22'' is obviously Italian.
4'45'' sounds mixed, although I can't really understand what they're saying. Feb 2, 2009

rolig Pro, are they speaking Sardu or Italian (or a Sardinian dialect of Italian)? Feb 2, 2009

Prolagus They actually say something else before that, perhaps "Wait!"... I have a feeling they wanted to wait so that they could eat together, and he just bit the casu marzu on carasau (yes, the bread they spread it on is carasau). Feb 2, 2009

rolig Fascinating. So basically, they said, "Go on, you sucker, eat it"? Hilarious. Feb 2, 2009

Prolagus ...Then laugh out loud.
At 5'15'', after the correspondent talks to the little girl in English (she can not understand him, since we do not learn English so early), they tell him "Vai, calloni!".
Calloni is a Southern Sardinian (Campidanese) word meaning "sucker", "gull" (coglione in Italian, where it has a more aggressive connotation).

EDIT: I don't usually like such behaviors, but "calloni" is not really that offensive. They would have probably said it in English if they knew the word. Feb 2, 2009

Prolagus Well, thank you for making me cry. Feb 2, 2009

bilby Thanks to YouTube, probably more than you ever wanted to know about casu marzu. Feb 2, 2009

reesetee Either way, we'd better hand hernesheir a tissue. :-) Jan 6, 2009

chained_bear ... do you mean reesetee? Jan 6, 2009

hernesheir Thanks, chained_bear for introducing me to casu marzu and the lists it appears on.

For the first time ever I was laughing so hard at the comments that I gibbered, teared up, and slobbered on my keyboard. Jan 6, 2009

dontcry Oh, skip, you magnificent bastard -- you beat me to the tags! Jul 24, 2008

dontcry Pleeeeeease? Jul 4, 2008

bilby Probably a matter of time before there's a video on YouTube of a casu marzu eating competition somewhere. Jul 4, 2008

Prolagus Oh my. Jul 4, 2008

skipvia Actually, when you compare it to balut, it sounds almost appetizing--larvae and all. Jul 4, 2008

Prolagus What's your problem with casu marzu, my friends?!
*defending his motherland* Jul 4, 2008

asativum Oog. I missed this one. Is it possible for John to insert a warning page before landing here? Copremesis might qualify as well. Jul 3, 2008

Prolagus And by the way, the maggots taste exactly like the cheese.
But I'm definitely not a fan of maggots... Apr 4, 2008

Prolagus WOW! I almost forgot to add this Sardinian product!!! Apr 4, 2008

bilby "Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming; others do not."

Eye protection before eating larvae? Why not? Haven't you ever heard of safe insex? Dec 1, 2007

chained_bear But isn't the point of the food not to eat the actual worms, just the cheese? (I could go read the article again, but... no, I couldn't.)

I still think the thought of putting on eye protection before eating something is pretty funny. Dec 1, 2007

bilby "Risk of enteric myiasis: intestinal larval infection. Piophila casei larvae can pass through the stomach alive (human stomach acids do not usually kill them) and take up residency for some period of time in the intestines, where they can cause serious lesions as they attempt to bore through the intestinal walls. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea."

A food - an I use the term loosely - that definitely qualifies for my Yuck list. Dec 1, 2007

chained_bear I think you'll have to ask sionnach what it is. I was remarking on a link to Wikipedia that someone else posted--I thought it was here, but apparently not--to casu marzu. I'd go find it and post it here but... it's too gross, so look it up if you want to know. :)

Edit: EEEW. I went and found the link. Have fun (not). Nov 30, 2007

bilby I have no idea what this is c_b, but it fails most of my tests for food. Perhaps I'm ambivalent about foreign delicacies, yet ... Nov 30, 2007

skipvia You have to respect a food that fights back even before you start eating it. Nov 3, 2007

chained_bear You know, I just love this sentence: "When disturbed, the larvae can jump for distances up to 15 cm (6 inches), prompting recommendations of eye protection...." That is too, too funny! Oct 12, 2007