Before I talk about the food, I want to share something a little personal about traveling with Felix. Felix and I are not (yet) rich people, haha. So, traveling is not something we can simply book without thinking about the cost. But Felix always tries his best to make it happen. I think that is one of the things I appreciate most about him. He may not be able to give me everything in the world, but he always tries to help me see more of it.
For me, traveling has never really been about luxury or staying in the most beautiful hotels. I simply want to see places with my own eyes, walk through streets I have never seen before, and experience things that are different from my everyday life. I want to come home with stories, not just photographs.
We also rarely visit the same country twice. Usually, we go somewhere once and then move on because there are simply too many places in the world we still want to see. Of course, there are exceptions. If a place is nearby or has left a special memory with us, we might return. But because we do not know when we will get another chance to visit, we try to experience as much of the local culture as we reasonably can while we are there.
And food is one of the easiest ways to do that. We like trying things that people actually eat in the place we are visiting, rather than only choosing food that feels familiar or sticking to tourist restaurants. Sometimes we discover something we absolutely love. Sometimes it is just okay. And sometimes we come across something so unusual that we have to stop and ask ourselves, "Are we really going to eat that?"
In Sardegna, we found exactly that kind of food.
It was Casu Marzu, one of Sardinia's most unusual traditional cheeses.
Casu Marzu roughly means "rotten cheese" in Sardinian. It begins as a sheep's milk cheese, similar to the pecorino cheeses Sardinia is famous for. Sardinia has a long pastoral tradition, with sheep farming and shepherding playing an important role in rural life for generations. Cheese was naturally an important way to preserve milk and make use of what was available.
But Casu Marzu takes the process much further. The cheese is intentionally exposed to cheese flies, which lay their eggs inside it. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the cheese and break down its fats, creating a much softer and creamier texture. The result is a cheese that can become almost spreadable. And yes, the larvae are still there. "Alive." That was the part where my enthusiasm for trying local food suddenly disappeared.
It would be easy to look at Casu Marzu and think it is simply some strange food created to shock outsiders. But there is a much deeper story behind it.
Like many traditional foods, it developed from a particular way of life. For generations, Sardinian communities depended on sheep and made food from what was available around them. Casu Marzu became part of that food culture and, for some people, is associated with tradition, heritage, and special occasions.
That is what I find fascinating about food when traveling. Something that looks completely strange to us can be perfectly normal to someone else. Our idea of what is delicious or disgusting is often shaped by what we grew up eating. If I had grown up in Sardinia with Casu Marzu on the table, perhaps I would feel differently about it. But I didn't.
So while I could appreciate the history behind the cheese, I was not brave enough to take that first bite. I think that is also part of traveling. We do not have to try everything to appreciate another culture. Sometimes it is enough to see it, learn about it, understand why people eat it, and admit that it is simply not for us.
Maybe one day I will return to Sardegna and finally decide to try Casu Marzu. Or maybe I will see those little white larvae again and immediately remember why I said no the first time.
For now, I am happy to appreciate this very unusual Sardinian tradition from a safe distance. Traveling is not only about beautiful places and delicious meals. Sometimes, it is also about discovering something completely outside your comfort zone and realizing that, culturally speaking, the world is much bigger than your own dinner table. And sometimes, after learning the whole story, you can simply say:
"I understand the tradition. I respect the culture. But the little white things moving inside the cheese? I'll pass."
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