Interesting Food - Cheese (Make sure you're not eating before you read this)

Casu marzu (also called casu modde, casu cundhídu in Sardinian dialects, or in Italian formaggio marcio) is a traditional Sardinian sheep's milk cheese. But, I hear you asking, what makes it interesting? Well it's notable for being riddled with maggots.

(It's name literally means "rotten cheese" in Sardinian, and the cheese is known colloquially as maggot cheese. Derived from Pecorino, Casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage most would consider rotten. This decomposition is brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. The larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft - well it would, wouldn't it - with some liquid (called lagrima, from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent white worms, about 8 millimetres (0.3 in) long. When disturbed, the larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 centimetres (6 in). Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming; others do not.)