When dangerous foods are mentioned, cheese may not be the first food to come to mind, but its has been estimated that the exotic Casu Marzu cheese may have won itself a place in that category.
This special Italian delicacy when translated in English means "rotten cheese", which is very apt because the cheese is truly rotten.
Casu marzu actually begins as a different kind of cheese altogether called pecorino sardo. However, instead of letting the cheese ripen in a darkened basement, cheesemakers bring the pecorino sardo outside and place it in the sun. There, flies are allowed to lay eggs in it.
As the eggs hatch, tiny maggots feed on the cheese and release enzymes that speed up the fermentation process. The more the maggots, the tastier the cheese.
The maggots can sometimes present a hazard as they can jump for meters, and probably into the eyes of the consumer.
Surprisingly enough, casu marzu is in very high demand even though it's been outlawed by both the Italian government and the European Union. Despite the ban, Sardinian locals continue to produce casu marzu and sell it on the black market.