Editing Casu martzu (section)

==History and legal status==
An Italian journalist for ''CNN'' described ''casu martzu''{{'}}s cultural status as "revered", and the unique cheesemaking process combined with the strong, rare taste of the dish are described as icons of the traditional Sardinian pastoral lifestyle. Local [[Gastronomy|gastronome]] Giovanni Fancello traced the history of Sardinian cuisine to the island's time as a province of the [[Roman Empire]], arguing that "we have always eaten worms, [[Pliny the Elder]] and [[Aristotle]] talked about it... It’s part of our history. We are the sons of this food."<ref name=CNNtravel /> ''Casu martzu'' is traditionally believed to be an [[aphrodisiac]] by Sardinians<ref name="wallstreet">{{cite journal|last=Trofimov|first=Yaroslav|author-link=Yaroslav Trofimov|date=23 October 2000|title=As a Cheese Turns, So Turns This Tale Of Many a Maggot --- Crawling With Worms and Illicit, Sardinia's Ripe Pecorinos Fly In the Face of Edible Reason|journal=Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition)|volume=236|issue=37|pages=A1|issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=CNNtravel /> and the shepherding, milking, and fermentation necessary for the dish feature heavily in the island's [[superstition]] and [[mysticism]].<ref name=CNNtravel />

The cheese was featured on a cooking show by [[Gordon Ramsay]] in 2011, increasing its notoriety to an extent among [[tourism in Italy|tourists]].<ref name=CNNtravel />

The cheese faced legal challenges from the government of Italy as early as 1962, when it was prohibited under laws against the sale of infested food.<ref name=CNNtravel /> Because of [[European Union]] food hygiene-health regulations, the cheese has been outlawed, and offenders face heavy fines.<ref name="world's worst"/> Despite this the laws are sometimes not enforced,<ref name=CNNtravel /> and some Sardinians organized themselves in order to make ''casu martzu'' available on the [[black market]], where it may be sold for double the price of an ordinary block of pecorino cheese.<ref name="Mark"/><ref name="wallstreet"/> As of 2019, the illegal production of this cheese was estimated at {{convert|100|t|ton|lk=out}} per year, worth between €2–3 million.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brescia |first=Giulio |title=Casu marzu, un formaggio pericoloso… in attesa del marchio Dop |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333262537 |page=40}}</ref>

Attempts have been made to circumvent the Italian and EU ban by having ''casu martzu'' declared a traditional food.<ref name="Mark"/> The traditional way of making the cheese is explained by an official paper of the Sardinian government. Sardinia is considered an [[Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute|autonomous region of Italy]]. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sardegnaagricoltura.it/documenti/14_43_20070607153029.pdf |title=Casu frazigu – Formaggi |publisher=Regione autonoma della Sardegna – ERSAT: Ente Regionale di Sviluppo e Assistenza Tecnica |language=it |access-date=29 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722051927/http://www.sardegnaagricoltura.it/documenti/14_43_20070607153029.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Casu martzu'' is among several cheeses that are not legal in the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Van Hare |first=Holly |date=May 30, 2019 |title=These Cheeses Are Banned in the US |url=https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/global-cuisine/cheeses-banned-us |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506224958/https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/global-cuisine/cheeses-banned-us |archive-date=May 6, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |work=The Daily Meal |publisher=Tribune}}</ref>