Herbs play a large part in the Italian diet, with Basil Genovese for example, being crushed in a mortar and pestle with pine nuts, peccorino and Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and then mixed with good olive oil to make pesto a Genoese would dream about. Herbs were so important to the Roman Legionaires, that varieties such as dill and chives were issued to every garrisson. Wild chives can still be found growing along Britain's Hadrians wall to this day.