Pesto, sauce, pickle or ferment from Italy: what it is and how it is eaten

Pesto is a thick, uncooked sauce from Genoa in Liguria, Italy, made by crushing fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, hard cheeses like Parmesan and pecorino, and extra virgin olive oil. Traditionally used to dress pasta, it is prepared by pounding the ingredients in a mortar and pestle. Pesto is now enjoyed in many countries and has inspired a wide range of variations.

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Pesto is made by pounding basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil together.
It comes from Genoa, in the Liguria region of Italy.
The name means 'to pound' in Genoese dialect.
Pesto is most often used to dress pasta.
There are many regional and modern variations, including pistou and pesto rosso.

What is Pesto?

Pesto is a thick, green paste made by crushing fresh basil leaves with pine nuts, garlic, hard cheeses such as Parmesan and pecorino sardo, and extra virgin olive oil. The result is a fragrant, creamy sauce with a strong aroma of basil and garlic, a nutty undertone from the pine nuts, and a salty, tangy taste from the cheeses. It is most often used to coat pasta, but can also be spread on bread or used as a condiment.

Where does Pesto come from?

Pesto comes from Genoa, in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. Its name comes from the Genoese word for 'to pound', referring to the traditional method of crushing the ingredients in a mortar with a pestle. Earlier sauces in the region included moretum, a Roman paste of garlic, cheese, herbs and oil, and agliata, a medieval Genoese sauce of garlic and walnuts. Basil became the main ingredient only in the 19th century, when it was abundant in Liguria and Provence. The classic recipe was first published in Genoa in the mid-1800s.

How is Pesto made?

To make traditional pesto, garlic and pine nuts are first crushed in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle until creamy. Fresh basil leaves and coarse salt are then added and ground to a paste. Grated Parmesan and pecorino sardo cheeses are mixed in, and extra virgin olive oil is poured in to bring everything together. The sauce is not cooked. Pesto can be stored for up to a week in the fridge if kept under a layer of olive oil, or frozen for longer.

this is a picture of self made pesto in a mortar.. Photo: Flusel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pasta with pesto.. Photo: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How and when is Pesto eaten?

Pesto is most commonly used as a sauce for pasta, especially shapes like trofie or lasagne. It is stirred into the hot pasta just before serving, sometimes loosened with a little cooking water. In Provence, a similar sauce called pistou is used in vegetable soup. Pesto can also be spread on bread, used as a dip, or added to other dishes for flavor. It is eaten year-round and is a staple in Ligurian cooking.

Kinds of Pesto

There are many versions of pesto. Pistou from Provence leaves out the cheese and sometimes uses almonds or breadcrumbs. In Sicily, pesto alla trapanese includes tomato and almonds. Calabrian pesto uses grilled peppers and is spicy. Outside Italy, cooks often use other nuts like walnuts or cashews, and substitute greens such as parsley, rocket or spinach for basil. Vegan versions may use miso and nutritional yeast instead of cheese.

What Pesto means

Pesto is a symbol of Ligurian food culture and is closely tied to Genoa. There is a movement to have pesto alla genovese recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. The sauce has spread worldwide, especially since the late 20th century, and is now made and enjoyed in many countries. In Liguria, making pesto by hand is still valued as a tradition.

Questions people ask about Pesto

What is pesto made of?

Traditional pesto is made from fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and pecorino sardo cheeses, and extra virgin olive oil, all crushed together into a paste.

Where does pesto come from?

Pesto originated in Genoa, a city in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. It has been a staple of Ligurian cuisine since the 19th century.

How is pesto traditionally made?

Pesto is made by crushing garlic and pine nuts in a mortar, then adding basil and salt, followed by grated cheese, and finally mixing in olive oil until creamy. The sauce is not cooked.

Are there different types of pesto?

Yes, there are many variations. Pistou from Provence omits cheese, Sicilian pesto adds tomato and almonds, and modern recipes may use different nuts or greens.

How is pesto usually eaten?

Pesto is most commonly used as a sauce for pasta, but it can also be spread on bread, used as a dip, or added to other dishes for extra flavor.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Pesto", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

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