when well aged, let us say up to a century, it becomes Rock of
Gibraltar of cheeses and really suited for grating. It is easy to
believe that the so-called "Spanish cheese" used as a barricade by
Americans in Nicaragua almost a century ago was none other than the
almost indestructible Grana, as Parmesan is called in Italy.

The association between cheese and battling began in B.C. days with
the Jews and Romans, who fed cheese to their soldiers not only for its
energy value but as a convenient form of rations, since every army
travels on its stomach and can't go faster than its impedimenta. The
last notable mention of cheese in war was the name of the _Monitor_:
"A cheese box on a raft."

Romano is not as expensive as Parmesan, although it is as friable,
sharp and tangy for flavoring, especially for soups such as onion and
minestrone. It is brittle and just off-white when well aged.

Although made of sheep's milk, Pecorino is classed with both Parmesan
and Romano. All three are excellently imitated in Argentina. Romano
and Pecorino Romano are interchangeable names for the strong,
medium-sharp and piquant Parmesan types that sell for considerably
less. Most of it is now shipped from Sardinia. There are several
different kinds: Pecorino Dolce (sweet), Sardo Tuscano, and Pecorino
Romano Cacio, which relates it to Caciocavallo.

Kibitzers complain that some of the cheaper types of Pecorino are
soapy, but fans give it high praise. Gillian F., in her "Letter from
Italy" in Osbert Burdett's delectable _Little Book of Cheese_, writes:

Out in the orchard, my companion, I don't remember how, had