Pesto
Pesto, also known as pesto genovese, is an Italian paste traditionally made with leaves of Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan, pecorino sardo, pine nuts, and garlic. It originated in the Ligurian city of Genoa and is used to dress pasta.
Etymology
The name pesto is the past participle of the Genoese verb pestâ, 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 pestle. There are other foods called "pesto", but pesto by itself usually means pesto alla genovese.History
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 moretum, which was made by crushing garlic, salt, cheese, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar together. The use of this paste in the Roman cuisine is mentioned in the Appendix Vergiliana#Moretum, an ancient collection of poems in which the author details the preparation of moretum. During the Middle Ages, a popular sauce in the Genoan cuisine was agliata, which was a mash of garlic and walnuts, as garlic was a staple in the nutrition of Ligurians, especially for the seafarers.The introduction of basil, the main ingredient of modern pesto, occurred in more recent times and is first documented only from the 1850s. Emanuele Rossi published La Vera Cucineria Genovese in 1852 and gastronomist Giovanni Battista Ratto published La Cuciniera Genovese in 1863:
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. Ratto mentions Dutch cheese instead of pecorino sardo, since Northern European cheeses were common in Genoa at the time, thanks to the centuries-long commercial trades of the maritime republic.
This recipe for pesto alla genovese was often revised in the following years, 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
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, and then the washed and dried basil leaves are added with coarse salt and ground to a creamy consistency. Only then is a mix of Parmesan and pecorino added. To help incorporate the cheese, a little extra-virgin olive oil is added. In a tight jar, covered by a layer of extra-virgin olive oil, pesto can last in the refrigerator for up to a week and can be frozen for later use.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 pesto alla genovese is made with Genovese basil, coarse salt, garlic, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil, European pine nuts, and a grated cheese such as Parmesan or Grana Padano and pecorino sardo or pecorino romano. A proposal is under preparation by the Palatifini Association to have pesto alla genovese included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
There is a slightly different version in Provence, where it is known as pistou. 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, 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. Any combination of flavourful leaves, oily nuts, hard cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and lemon juice can produce a pesto-like condiment.
Pesto alla siciliana, also known as pesto alla trapanese and sometimes called pesto rosso, is a sauce from Sicily similar to pesto alla genovese but with the addition of fresh tomato and almonds instead of pine nuts, and much less basil.
Pesto alla calabrese is a sauce from Calabria consisting of 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, 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.