A Pesto Journey through Liguria
One dish at a time
I’m a self-proclaimed Pesto Connoisseur with a keen appreciation for the aesthetic delicacy of pesto. If I didn’t inherit the fat gene, I’d eat it breakfast, noon, and night. Pesto scrambled with eggs, Pesto, salumi, and pecorino on a focaccia, Pesto chicken. You get it.
It’s such an important part of my life, Pesto is a proper noun.
Legend has it that Pesto originated in a convent between the hills of Genoa, Prà, dedicated to St. Basil. One of the monks of the monastery gathered the aromatic grass growing on those hills, basil, and pounding mortar with other simple ingredients to prepare the first pesto. And voila, Pesto was created! He is my patron saint. St. Pesto.
(I tried to choose St. Pesto at confirmation, but the nuns scoffed at me.)
Pesto is traditionally made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil, and is typically served over pasta. The name “Pesto” is derived from the Italian word “pestare,” which means “to pound or crush,” referring to the method of preparation in which the ingredients are ground together using a mortar and pestle.
While Pesto might have originated in Genoa, Liguria, a region in northwest Italy, is also known for its production of basil, which is a key ingredient in pesto sauce…
