5 Holiday Foods That Will Make You Question Humanity
Every culture has a dish that makes outsiders say “absolutely not.” Usually, it’s the thing grandparents insist is delicious while the children quietly push it around the plate. But then there are the holiday foods that go beyond acquired taste into genuinely disturbing territory. Some are fermented in the ground. Some are served still moving. And one is made from a bird stuffed inside a seal. Here are five holiday dishes that will make you question everything.
Casu Marzu — The Cheese With Live Maggots
Sardinia’s traditional Easter cheese is deliberately infested with live cheese fly larvae. The maggots digest the fats in the cheese, breaking it down into a soft, creamy texture that enthusiasts describe as “beyond description.” If you’re wondering how it’s eaten, the answer is: with your hands cupped, because the maggots can jump up to six inches and launch themselves at your face. It’s considered a delicacy in Sardinia, a protected traditional food, and technically illegal under European Union hygiene laws. Nobody has told the Sardinians that.