Pesto: An Ode to Ligurian Basil

Photo by Nathalie Jolie

by Brian Alcamo

Pesto! It’s green, it’s garlicky, and it’s delicious to anyone who isn’t allergic to pine nuts. You can put it on pasta, sandwiches, and anything else you deem “pesto-able” (though some hard-core Italians would beg to differ). For anyone interested in learning Italian, an investigation of this sauce is in order. 

Where is Pesto From?

Unlike many recipes, the region of origin of pesto is usually agreed upon to be Liguria, specifically the city of Genova. Liguria is a region in northern Italy, sharing a border with the French region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (which includes Nice and other cities that make up the French Riviera) to the West, Piedmont (Turin’s region) to the North, and Emilia-Romagna (the region of Bologna) and Tuscany (the home of Florence) to the East. Liguria is the home of the Italian Riviera, where its capital city Genova and others including Savona, Imperia, and La Spezia form a continuum with its French counterpart.

Liguria is not only gorgeous, it also features a climate and seaside soil rich in minerals that make it the perfect location for cultivating basil, a key ingredient in pesto. The city where a lot of this basil cultivation takes place is Pra’. Ligurian basil is known for its mild, aromatic flavors imbued with sea-like qualities. It’s said that basilico genovese needs to “see the sea” in order to grow. The leaves are plucked when they’re young, and are thus smaller and more delicate than most basil varieties seen in the US. This gives the basil more delicate qualities. If you’re having trouble imagining what these leaves might taste like compared to a larger ‘Merican cousin, think of “baby” varieties of your favorite lettuces: “baby” kale versus mature kale, “baby” arugula versus mature arugula, etc.

The word pesto comes from the Italian verb pestare, which means “to pound” or “to crush.” This etymology most likely stems from the fact that pesto was traditionally with a wooden pestle and marble mortar. Pesto’s history goes way back in time, all the way back to the ancient Romans, who ate something called moretum, which was a green paste made from cheese, garlic, and herbs. By the Middle Ages, moretum had evolved into a new sauce called agliata, which was a sauce made of walnuts and garlic. Garlic has a special place in the hearts of the Genovese, especially as a medicinal agent adored by the city’s seafarers. It was in the 19th century that the recipe for what we now know to be pesto began to appear in Genovese documentation. The 1863 cookbook La Cuciniera Genovese published by Giovanni Battista Ratto features a recipe calling for the following ingredients:

• A clove of garlic

• Basil (or marjoram or parsley as a substitute)

• Grated dutch and parmesan cheese

• Pine nuts

• A little butter

The ingredients were to be mashed with a pestle and mortar until smooth, then diluted with olive oil. Lasagna and gnocchi were to be dressed with the sauce which could be thinned out to-taste with hot water. Dutch cheese was used instead of pecorino because it was more available due to the Genoveses’ trade relations with the residents of the Netherlands.

In the 1800s, pasta al pesto was considered a dish of the working class. Ligurians still add potatoes, broad beans or French beans, and small pieces of zucchini boiled together with the pasta in this dish. These ingredients are often added to trenette, a type of dried genovese pasta. Some pesto makers add walnuts and even ricotta. These pesto variations prove that no Italian recipe is set in stone, and that culinary innovation is happening all the time. 

Vocabulary for your venture into pesto-land

• Garlic - aglio

• Pine nuts - pinoli

• Basil - basilico

• To grind - macinare

• Sea salt - sale marino

Pesto Today

Pesto began to become a global phenomenon after the Second World War. Over time the ratio of basil to garlic has changed, with older versions of recipes using way more garlic than basil, sometimes even only three or four leaves of basil compared to three or four cloves of garlic. This kind of pesto fit the tastes and culinary fashions of the Genoese, highly influenced by Arab and Persian costumes starting in the Middle Ages and continuing until the 1800s. It also helped to continue the Ligurian tradition of making sure the region’s sailors were well-stocked with garlic. Nowadays, pesto contains much more basil, and has a more balanced flavor.

When preparing a pesto, it would be both elegant and wonderful if you could use the highest quality ingredients as if you were a true Ligurian: Regional extra-virgin olive oil, Vessalico garlic, Italian pine nuts, and salt from the Cervia salt flats. Barring access to all of these authentic ingredients that are hard to find outside of Italy, the best you can do it find your own quality ingredients and follow an original recipe. If you’re looking to grow your own basil for pesto, try ordering from Seeds From Italy to get as authentic a source as possible. If you want your pesto to be as authentic and hand-crafted as possible, opt for a mortar and pestle as opposed to using a food processor. Pestle and pesto go hand in hand!

Not looking to make your own pesto? That’s okay too! Just remember that every bite of your favorite pesto-infused dish carries with it the traditions of a region of proud seafaring Italians.

Thanks for Reading!

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