| Basil pesto is actually a relatively modern pasta sauce compared to others. It was invented in Genova, Liguria in the 1800s. In fact, it’s usually referred to as pesto Genovese. Before they invented pesto, the Genovese often ate their pasta either cooked in broth and sprinkled with cheese or seasoned with condiments such as prescinsêua cheese (a cross between yogurt and ricotta), normal ricotta and cinnamon or sauces of mushrooms and hazelnuts. The first time I ever tasted basil pesto I was in the countryside of Torino, Italy. I think it might have been Castelnuovo Calcea. I was a teenager visiting Italy with my parents and younger brother. We were visiting my mother’s uncle who had 9 children and of the dark haired 9, one was a blond and one was a redhead. Some were married so the gathering was outside and we were all sitting at a long wooden table or maybe it was two joined together and we were sitting on benches. The day was cool even though it was June, we were up in the mountains surrounded by farmland. I can close my eyes and remember the day distinctly as if it were just last week. The sky was blue with just a few clouds and as we ate, I could hear their cow mooing in the nearby pasture. Anyway, for Cena we were served their homemade pasta with, a surprisingly for my brother and me, very green sauce. That was my first introduction to pesto, any variety of pesto. But for many reasons it is a favorite of mine to this day and we always have basil planted in pots near to our kitchen as I have many uses for it in my cooking along with the luscious pesto. Because my mother had not seen her family for over 45 years the talk was rapid and endless. I didn’t speak much Italian, but I could understand most of it. It was a glorious day and because we were up so high the air was cool and crisp. Unfortunately, if any pictures were taken on that day (which I doubt because we only had an old Kodak that took rolled film that had to be sent away to be developed) they are lost to me. My husband and I went back to visit the area a few years ago but couldn’t locate the little village outside of Castelnuovo and I was amazed at how much building had taken over some of the farmland. I think mostly for wineries. But the memories of that day are still crystal clear |
Ancora 
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