Pesto (), also known as , is an Italian paste traditionally made with leaves of Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan (alternatively Grana Padano), , pine nuts, and garlic. It originated in the Ligurian city of Genoa and is used to dress pasta.
Etymology
thumb|250px|Pesto
The name is the past participle of the Genoese verb (Italian: ), meaning 'to pound', 'to crush': the ingredients are "crushed" or ground in a marble mortar through a circular motion of a wooden pestle. The same Latin root is the basis for . There are other foods called "pesto", but pesto by itself usually means .
History
thumb|250px| with pesto
Pesto is thought to have had two predecessors in ancient times, going back as far as the Roman age. The ancient Romans used to eat a similar paste called , which was made by crushing garlic, salt, cheese, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar (and sometimes pine nuts) together. The use of this paste in the Roman cuisine is mentioned in the , an ancient collection of poems in which the author details the preparation of .
Basil took the firmest root in the regions of Liguria, Italy, and Provence, France. It is abundant in these regions in season, and marjoram and parsley may be used when basil is out of season. and it shortly became a staple in the Ligurian culinary tradition, with many variants.
An early American pesto recipe was published in 1928; it includes butter and cream. In 1946, Sunset magazine published a pesto recipe by Angelo Pellegrini. Pesto became popular in North America in the 1980s and 1990s.
Ingredients and preparation
thumb|250px|Ingredients for
Pesto is traditionally prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. First, garlic and pine nuts are placed in the mortar and reduced to a cream,
Varieties
Pesto comes in a variety of recipes, some traditional and some modern, as the very noun "pesto" is a generic term for anything that is made by pounding.
The original is made with Genovese basil, coarse salt, garlic, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil (Taggiasco), European pine nuts (sometimes toasted), and a grated cheese such as Parmesan or Grana Padano and or .
thumb|250px|Freshly baked pesto bread
There is a slightly different version in Provence, where it is known as pistou (from pistar, 'to pound' in Occitan). Pistou is generally made with only olive oil, basil, and garlic, and not cheese, although some modern versions include it. Almonds or breadcrumbs can be used to give the final consistency. Pistou is used in the soupe au pistou, a hearty vegetable soup.
Outside of Italy, sometimes almond, Brazil nuts, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, walnut or even peanuts are used instead of pine nuts, and sometimes coriander, dill, kale, mint, parsley, rocket, spinach or wild garlic leaves are mixed in with the basil leaves.
, also known as and sometimes called ('red pesto'), is a sauce from Sicily similar to but with the addition of fresh tomato and almonds instead of pine nuts, and much less basil.
is a sauce from Calabria consisting of (grilled) bell peppers, black pepper, and more; these ingredients give it a distinctively spicy taste.
Outside Italy, the name "pesto" has been used for all sorts of cold sauces or dips, mostly without any of the original ingredients: coriander, dill, kale, mint, parsley, rocket, spinach or wild garlic (instead of or in addition to basil), artichokes, black olives, green olives, lemon peel, lime peel or mushrooms. In more northern countries, ramson leaves are sometimes used instead of basil.
Vegan variations may substitute miso paste and nutritional yeast for cheese.
Non-traditional variants of pesto
For reasons of expense or availability, almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, walnut or even peanuts are sometimes substituted for the traditional pine nuts. Also, while the nuts are traditionally raw, some recipes call for prior toasting or roasting. Other nuts may be used due to the taste disturbances that some people may experience after consuming pine nuts (see pine mouth). Many online recipes in English for pesto include black pepper or white pepper, which are not present in the usual Genoese recipe.
- Avocado and parsley
- Carrots, coriander, and cumin
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Perilla leaf
- Spirulina
- Walnuts
See also
- Cuisine of Liguria