Casu Marzu

Maggot-Infested Cheese from Sardinia, Italy

Pecorino cheese intentionally fermented by cheese fly larvae—live maggots and all. Taboo, banned, and tongue-burning.

Ingredients

• Pecorino-style sheep milk cheese
• Cheese fly larvae

Recipe Instructions

1. Let cheese ripen until cheese fly lays eggs.
2. Larvae hatch—leave them in to digest fats.
3. Wait until creamy (with "teardrops" of fat).
4. Eat warm with larvae; remove if you dare (bag method).
5. Spread on bread—watch out for airborne maggots.