The true pesto sauce receipe

Pesto is the second most popular sauce in the world, right after the tomato sauce.

Jars of dark green pesto sauce (a colour that has nothing to do with the original pesto) are so ubiquitous on supermarket shelves these days that it's easy to forget about the authentic flavour of this product or the fact that it originates from Liguria.

Pesto “alla genovese” bases its culinary beauty on keeping it simple, with no more than five ingredients - basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, pecorino cheese (sheep milk cheese), and the finest extra virgin olive oil (naturally, from Liguria) - all blended together to form a homogeneous glossy green paste, of an intense and pleasant taste, perfect for pasta.

The origin of pesto

The sauce is thought to date back to ancient times, to a cheese spread favoured by the Romans.

In the Middle Ages the citizens of Liguria around the city of Genoa adapted the recipe by adding basil leaves to the cheese spread, thus creating the sauce we know today.

According to the traditional recipe, the pesto is prepared by pounding the ingredients in a marble mortar and using a wooden pestle, to form a creamy blend.

The word “pesto” has the same origins as the word "pestle".

If you want to know the difference between supermarket-bought pesto and original pesto, you must taste the real thing!

It is essential that you visit Liguria and enter one of its typical restaurants or visit one of the O&F shops to taste the true pesto alla genovese.  

The best way to enjoy pesto is with a dish of freshly cooked trofie (a type of Ligurian pasta). This is how you can truly sense the difference between supermarket pesto and the one made in the homes of the Genoese, the fresh pesto that we prepare for you on a weekly basis while using natural and original ingredients.

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