An apt American name for any round store cheese that can be cut in wedges like a pie.  Perfect with apple or mince or any other pie.  And by the way, in these days when natural cheese is getting harder to find, any piece of American Cheddar cut in pie wedges before being wrapped in cellophane is apt to be the real thing—­if it has the rind on.  The wedge shape is used, however, without any rind, to make processed pastes pass for “natural” even without that identifying word, and with misleading labels such as old, sharp Cheddar and “aged nine months.”  That’s long enough to make a baby, but not a “natural” out of a processed “Cheddar.”

Pimiento
U.S.A.

Because pimiento is the blandest of peppers, it just suits our bland national taste, especially when mixed with Neufchatel, cream, club or cottage.  The best is homemade, of course, with honest, snappy old Cheddar mashed and mixed to taste, with the mild Spanish pepper that equals the Spanish olive as a partner in such spreads.

Pimp see Mainzer Hand Cheese.

Pineapple see Chapter 4.

Piora
Tessin, Switzerland

Whole milk, either cow’s or a mixture of goat’s and cow’s.

Pippen
U.S.A.

Borden brand of Cheddar.  Also Pippen Roll

Pithiviers au Foin
France

Orleans variety ripened on hay from October to May.

Poitiers
France

Goat’s milker named from its Poitou district.

Pommel
France

All year.  Double cream; unsalted.

Ponta Delgada
Azores

Semifirm; delicate; piquant

Pontgibaud
France

Similar to Roquefort Ripened at a very low temperature.

Pont l’Eveque

Characterized as a classic French fromage “with Huge-like
Romanticism.” (See Chapter 3.) An imported brand is called “The
Inquisitive Cow.”

Poona
U.S.A.

Semisoft; mellow; New York Stater of distinctive flavor.  Sold in two-pound packs, to be kept four or five hours at room temperature before serving.

Port-Salut, Port du Salut see Chapter 3.

Port, Blue Links
U.S.A.

“Blue” flavored with red port and put up in pseudo-sausage links.

Pot cheese
U.S.A.

Cottage cheese with a dry curd, not creamed.  An old English favorite for fruited cheese cakes with perfumed plums, lemons, almonds and macaroons.  In Ireland it was used in connection with the sheep-shearing ceremonies, although itself a common cow curd.  Pennsylvania pot cheese is cooked.

Potato
Germany and U.S.A.