Casu marzu (also called casu modde, casu cundídu, casu fràzigu in Sardinian, or in Italian formaggio marcio, "rotten cheese",) is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese, notable for containing live insect larvae (maggots). Although found mostly in the island of Sardinia, the cheese is also found in the nearby Corsica, where it goes by the name of casgiu merzu. Derived from Pecorino, casu marzu goes above and beyond typical fermentation to a stage of decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to...

The flour mite, Acarus siro, a pest of stored grains, is one of many species of grain and flour mites. An older name for the species is Tyroglyphus farinae. The flour mite, which is pale greyish white in colour with pink legs, is the most common species of mite in foodstuffs. The males are from 0.33–0.43 millimetres (0.013–0.017 in) long and the female is from 0.36–0.66 mm (0.014–0.026 in) long. Flour mites contaminate grain and flour by allergens and they transfer pathogenic microorganisms. Foodstuffs acquire a sickly sweet smell and an unpalatable taste. When fed infested feeds, animals show...

Milbenkäse ("mite cheese"), called Mellnkase in the local dialect and often (erroneously) known as Spinnenkäse ("spider cheese"), is a German specialty cheese made from Quark and cheese mites's feces. Historically, the cheese was produced in the Saxony-Anhalt/Thuringia border region of Zeitz and Altenburg districts; today it is produced exclusively in the village of Würchwitz, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The traditional method of making Milbenkäse, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was nearly lost by 1970, with only the elderly Liesbeth Brauer knowing the technique. Local science teacher...