page_title: Pesto
section_title: Accompaniments
hierarchical_section_title: Pesto / Ingredients and preparation / Accompaniments
caption_attribution_description: English: A plate of cellentani (also referred to as cavatappi) pasta with pesto and tomatoes as prepared by the photographer.
context_page_description: Pesto, or to refer to the original dish pesto alla genovese, is a sauce originating in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo, all blended with olive oil.
context_section_description: Pesto is commonly used on pasta, traditionally with mandilli de sæa ("silk handkerchiefs" in the Genoese dialect), trofie or trenette. Potatoes and string beans are also traditionally added to the dish, boiled in the same pot in which the pasta has been cooked. Pasta, mixed with pesto, has become a well-known dish in many countries today, with countless recipes being posted online for "pesto pasta".
  It is used in Genovese minestrone. Outside of Italy, pesto is sometimes served with sliced beef, tomatoes, and sliced boiled potatoes.
caption: Cavatappi with pesto alla genovese.
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