pesto

Pesto is a paste that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano (also known as Parmesan cheese) or Pecorino Sardo (cheese made from sheep's milk), all blended with olive oil. It originated in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy. Etymology Pesto alla genovese (in English: Genoese pesto); refers to the original dish. The name pesto is the past participle of the Genoese verb (Italian: ), which means "to pound", "to crush", in reference to the original method of preparation. According to tradition, the ingredients are "crushed" or ground in a marble mortar through a circular motion of a wooden pestle. This same Latin root, through Old French, also gave rise to the English noun pestle. Incidentally, the Latin root seems to be similar to the Sanskrit adjective pishta, which means to "ground", "pounded", "crushed". Strictly speaking, pesto is a generic term for anything made by pounding; that is why the word is used for several pestos in Italy. Nonetheless, pesto alla genovese ("Genoese pesto") remains the most popular pesto in Italy and the rest of the world.