Pesto is very popular all over the world. There are many recipes and variations of pesto, but there is one classic recipe that is based on olive oil, basil and Parmesan.
Northern Italy is considered the origin of pesto. This Italian sauce was known as far back as the Roman Empire, but the first written record of it was found in 1885.
What exactly is pesto made of
Classic Genovese pesto is generally made in a mortar, by pounding basil, salt, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Pecorino cheese. In some recipes, the pine nuts are replaced with walnuts or cashews and the cheese can be replaced with Parmesan or Grana Padano.
Pesto is most often used to flavor pasta, lasagna, for soups, with croutons or it is spread on bruschetta.
In France and more specifically in the Provence region, there is a pesto recipe, to which no nuts are added.
In Austria, they prepare pesto from pumpkin seeds and in Germany they replace the basil with wild garlic.
However you prepare it, pesto is always a perfect addition to almost any dish.
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