# Is Limburger cheese supposed to taste like it ripened in a corpse's rectum? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423 "2008-07-06T02:32:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/41 "2012-10-03T18:00:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What is it with all these Limburger threads lately? This is like the third one (and I know this is a zombie) in as many months. I have a difficult time believing it was ever the most popular cheese in the US–I’d need to see a cite on that. According this (found via Google) it was: > **[Roundtable | Lapham’s Quarterly](https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/roundtable/the-cheese-that-stands-alone.php)** I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the article, it’s just something I found. I haven’t even read it yet beyond the first couple paragraphs. EDIT: To be precise, it says “one of the most popular in America”, not “the most popular”. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/42 "2012-10-03T18:21:22Z")
Yeah, most popular after American, Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, Parmagiano, Ricotta, Feta, Bleu, Emmentaler, Gruyere, Gouda, goat, colby, pepper jack, monterey jack. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/43 "2012-10-03T18:30:17Z")
Seriously, outside of Wisconsin (and maybe one of the neighboring states, although I don’t see it here in Illinois), who eats Limburger? Look, I can tolerate the stuff enough that I occasionally have the craving for it, but I can’t see it ever being a mass-market item, even back in the days when people were less squeamish about blood sausage and head cheese. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/44 "2012-10-03T18:31:10Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Few questions: > > 1. Why eat it? Do many people like it? For anyone here, did you like it immediately, or did it take years of practice to surpress your gag reflex? > 2. How do you eat it? On a saltine? Melted on a Philly cheesesteak? Crumbled on a salad? On a cheeseburger? > 3. How strong is the rankness? Can you smell it across a room? Will it funktify your whole house? As I have observed and remarked many times, people will eat or drink just about anything with nonzero taste. It’s like the gastronomic equivalent of Rule 34. I have no idea how you gird yourself up to eating it. I’m still working on broccoli, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/45 "2012-10-03T19:58:32Z")
[It’s the cheese that pleases](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuaHYIqN-iQ). (Lyrics in “Show more”.) ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/46 "2012-10-04T17:22:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Welcome to Hell! The lunch menu for today, durian fruit-cup, limburger cheese sandwiches with marmite… ahahahahahahahaha. coughed up my soda! ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/47 "2012-10-04T17:23:44Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Yeah, most popular after American, Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, Parmagiano, Ricotta, Feta, Bleu, Emmentaler, Gruyere, Gouda, goat, colby, pepper jack, monterey jack. You forgot to add Cheez Whiz, Velveeta, and Cheetos. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/48 "2012-10-04T17:30:07Z")
I love the stuff, but every time I open the fridge, I’m like “Damn, what’s rotting?” Then I remember that it’s the limburger and grab myself a tasty snack. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/49 "2012-10-04T17:44:34Z")
**Is Limburger cheese supposed to taste like it ripened in a corpse’s rectum?** The good stuff tastes much worse than that. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/50 "2012-10-04T19:07:55Z")
zombie or no. zombies and stinky cheese never leave you. it tastes better than it smells. don’t smell as bad as some wet baby shit cheese i once whiffed. i forget the name of it. ---
**Author:** ![kkkKatieOH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dec6dc/32.png) [@kkkKatieOH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kkkKatieOH)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/51 "2016-03-01T20:54:04Z")
ahhhh heaven and hell (not to mention purgatory), are quite obviously relative experiences. I just enjoyed a simply peachy snack of limburger and Marmite on a Ritz cracker, washed down with a taste of Yuengling. …if pressed however I could admit to just a soupcon of trench toe! (yummy!) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/52 "2016-03-01T21:35:09Z")
> [@kkkKatieOH](#): > > ahhhh heaven and hell (not to mention purgatory), are quite obviously relative experiences. I just enjoyed a simply peachy snack of limburger and Marmite on a Ritz cracker, washed down with a taste of Yuengling. > > …if pressed however I could admit to just a soupcon of trench toe! > > (yummy!) I would have used a garlic Triskit with a side of ginger beer, but to each their own. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/53 "2016-03-02T02:22:35Z")
Wait, you’re bringing Yuengling into this? You whoosh me like that, you’d better smile. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/54 "2016-03-02T02:29:10Z")
Mmmmmm, Yuengling. Best thing about vacations on the gulf. And that’s including the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/55 "2016-03-02T02:36:26Z")
It used to be hard to find in NYC; I’d have to go up to Yorkville, the old Manhattan German neighborhood (now pretty much German-free), and buy it at Schaller & Weber. Lately I’ve been seeing it around Brooklyn in ordinary grocers and cheese shops. I prefer old-fashioned Wisconsin-style Brick cheese when I want a stinky cheese, but I still eat Limburger every once in a while. It’s good with really dense, dark German bread, although some folks swear by ordinary Saltines. The important thing is to serve it with beer and PLENTY of sliced raw onions. When you’re done, you have to run around and kiss all the girls. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/56 "2016-03-02T14:06:48Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Oh, just wanted to add… > > **Is Limburger cheese supposed to taste like it ripened in a corpse’s rectum?** > > Zombie Cheese! Post #18, from 2008, but oddly appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/57 "2016-03-02T14:20:15Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Sounds like heaven compared to this [stuff.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu) Great God in Heaven. “Because the larvae in the cheese can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in) when disturbed, diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping. Some who eat the cheese prefer not to ingest the maggots. Those who do not wish to do so place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, writhe and jump in the bag, creating a “pitter-patter” sound. When the sounds subside, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten.” Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite (allthough I now know what to feed my wife’s mother when she visits!) ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/58 "2016-03-02T15:36:30Z")
It’s one of those things that should be eaten in extremely small amounts. I must have a bad sense of smell. I didn’t think it smelled all that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/59 "2016-03-02T15:42:20Z")
I bought some once. I thought it was quite tasty. Then I left it on the table cuz I was lazy and went to bed. When I woke up, I thought the sewer had backed up. With deference to Ellen Cherry, I must advise the opposite: under no circumstances must you let it get warm! ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423/60 "2016-03-07T07:38:48Z")
I think it depends on how long the corpse was used as a curing vessel. Or sorry I mean fermentation incubator, especially as the leaking gasses - as the cadaver putrefies - will interact with the curdling fromage product, which amounts to approximately 15 pounds of it being c-sectioned into the gut, and then leather-hole-punched back up again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limburger-cheese-supposed-to-taste-like-it-ripened-in-a-corpses-rectum/455423.md?page=2)