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5 Unique Types of Cheese Around The World

Madison

Weird and whacky cheeses are savored all over the world, let's get into some of the most unique!


Casu Marzu (Italy)

Gordon Ramsey called this "the most dangerous cheese in the world."

Casu Marzu, meaning 'rotten or putrid cheese' is a traditional cheese made from sheep's milk in Sardinia, Italy. Most Americans would cringe at the sight of live maggots crawling through a wheel of pecorino in their fridge, in Sardinia it's considered normal!


After fermentation, a hole is cut in the top of the cheese and placed outdoors. This is where a species of cheese fly settles inside and lay eggs to produce larvae. The larvae eat the cheese and leave behind excretions of pre-digested fats, proteins, and sugars, the cause of Casu Marzu's distinct flavor.

Casu Marzu via Culture Trip Website

Human Milk Cheese (New York)

What would you do with a freezer full of breast milk? Well, New York chef, Daniel Angerer, decided to experiment with it rather than let it go to waste!

He blogged the process online with photos of mother's milk with beets, romaine, mushroom, and onion chutney. Rest assured, the cheese was never actually produced in his restaurant or sold!


Milbenkase (Germany)

Interested in a mite excrement variety of cheese? Me neither!

Produced in Wurchwitz, Germany this cheese sits among dust mites for several months with some rye for them to nibble on. The mites excrete an enzyme to ripen the cheese that turns it progressively yellow, red-brown, and then black, at which point it's eaten- mites and all! With a bitter and zesty taste, the cheese is said to have curative effects for allergies to house dust.


Yak Cheese ( Tibetan Communities)

Previously mentioned on this blog, yak cheese is cheese that you and your dog can enjoy! These centuries-old chews are made from yak's milk. They were first developed in Nepal, by yak herdsmen who were working in the Himalayas and needed an easy way to get a high level of protein. Today, they are also used as natural dog chews!


Made by wrapping the curd from yak's milk in cloth and pressing it to get rid of the water. When it dries it's cut into pieces and allowed to dry, often over a wood fire. Earthy and tasty!


Airag Cheese (Central Asia)

Airag cheese, or horse milk cheese, is common in Central Asia where the horse is still integral to life in many places. To make airag, a mare is milked during foaling season and the milk left to ferment with an agent such as last season's airag.


It's either suspended next to the ger/yurt entrance so anyone passing by can stir, or it's tied to a saddle to achieve the same effect over a day's riding! It is then added to boiled milk to curdle and filtered through a fabric bag and pressed.




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