Pesto is a staple in traditional Italian cusine

Pesto is a commonly used ingredient in Italy when cooking pasta. A staple in Italian cusine, Pesto is also loved internationally. Although pesto is most famously known for being an part of Italian traditional cuisine it has been said that Pesto had most likely originated from India, but this being said basil was able to tale its firmest root in the Liguria region in Italy. To this day it is still abundant in this area.
The main ingredients of pesto must be either “crushed” or ground using a marble mortar in a circular motion with the use of a wooden pestle. The word is used for several pestos in Italy as it means to be crushed. The most commonly known pesto is pesto alla Genovese (“Genoese pesto”) both internationally and in Italy itself. It is easy to make, and a beautiful pesto bursts with fresh herby flavour, which makes it so loved by everyone.

Originating from Genoa, pesto or, pesto alla genovese, is a sauce that comes from the capital city of Liguria, Italy. The ingredients traditionally always consists of the same things which are crushed garlic, pine nuts, coarse sea salt, basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) and pecorino sardo (sheep’s milk cheese), and from there they are blended with olive oil. To create this amazing sauce at home one must begin with the ingredients that were previously stated above. When you begin crush the basil until it drips green liquid and looks almost like a paste. From there add the pine nuts and the previously grated cheese into the mixture. Then continue to mix together well the ingredients using circular movements of the pestle. Only when the mixture is a cream, add the extra virgin olive oil that is used as an antioxidant.

In order to create the perfect pesto, you must start with the key ingredients, the main ingredient in pesto is basil, “Ocimum basilicum”, or “Basilico Genovese”. In Liguria they have their own dialect and call basil “baxeicò” or “baxaicò”. What lays in the leaves of the plants itself is what makes it of such high quality. The perfect basil is tender, a shade of light green, and a medium-small size.