For centuries, Sardinian shepherds have produced casu marzu, a maggot-infested cheese that is not for the faint of tongue.

Here’s how it works: cheese skipper flies lay their eggs in the island’s salty pecorino, then maggots hatch and make their way through the paste.

The insects digest proteins in the process, and transform the product into a soft creamy cheese, according to CNN Travel.

Once the transformation takes place, the top of the casu marzu is cracked open and spoonfuls of this pungent delicacy are ready to eat.

The taste lingers on the palate for hours, and the sale of the cheese has been banned.

Those who would dare to sell it could face fines up to $60,000.

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey had a bite, and his reaction is what you’d expect — buon appetito!

(Photo credit: Shardan)Shardan

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