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I am having difficulty determining whether Casu Marzu is illegal in the United States. There are reports of it being available, albeit briefly, in New York last year. Also, I have heard that it is illegal because it is unpasteurized.

Are all unpasteurized cheeses & dairy products illegal in the United States? Is Casu Marzu illegal because it is unpasteurized? Or might it have something to do with those maggots...

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You just posted this question to gross us out, didn't you? Mission accomlished, then ... – FuzzyChef Aug 2 '12 at 4:12
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Something tells me that cutting into a cheese and having maggots leap out in a 6-inch radius around the cheese would make for a pretty good scene in a horror movie. (If you can call a scene in a horror movie "good") – Theodore Murdock Aug 3 '12 at 17:02

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You ain't going to get anything like that into the states legally - not with the chance of livestock still being viable in there. It doesn't need pasteurising,it needs paralyzing before it will get past US customs.

You might get some included as a component of a cooked product, if the paperwork assures customs it doesn't actually cause death.

If you want a strong tasting cheese, try looking for Vieux Lille.

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Not THE answer, but: A state-by-state map of raw milk laws in the United States

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Nice to know you can still buy raw milk somewhere - you can't buy it retail in UK. I was brought up on the stuff, and my opinion is that pasteurising everything is an excuse for sloppy hygiene and extending shelf life at the expense of taste. – klypos Aug 3 '12 at 23:33

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