In the depths of the Italian island of Sardinia, shepherds produce "casu marzu", a maggot-infected cheese * that, in 2009, the Guinness World Record declared the most dangerous cheese in the world .
* Maggot - Legless larvae, with a soft body of a fly or other insect, commonly found in rotting matter.
Part of the whole final cheese process are also "piophila casei", or otherwise "cheese flies", whose larvae are known to infect human food products.
If you are able to overcome the understandable disgust, marzu has a strong aroma with memories of Mediterranean pastures and spicy taste that stays for hours.
Some say it is an aphrodisiac. Others say it could be dangerous to human health as worms can survive the bite and create miia -micro-drilling in the gut, but so far, no such case has been linked to casu marzu.
Cheese is banned from commercial sale, but Sardinians have eaten it, including worms deep in it, for centuries.
"Worm infestation is the curse and pleasure of this cheese," says Paolo Solinas, a 29-year-old Sardinian gastronomer.
He says some locals are shocked by the thought of casu marzu, but others grown up by a life with him, love his strong scents.
"Some shepherds see cheese as a unique personal pleasure, something only a select few can experience," Solinas adds.
Source: CNN
