Basics
What pesto is, and how fresh differs from pasteurised
Pesto is a cold-ground sauce of herbs, oil, nuts or seeds, cheese and garlic. The name comes from the Italian pestare, to pound, so what makes something pesto is the method rather than one fixed recipe.
Where pesto comes from
Classic pesto alla genovese came out of Liguria, made with basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and aged cheese. Most people meet it on pasta, but it works just as well in sandwiches, salads, soups and as a finish on the plate.
Fresh or pasteurised
Most shelf pesto is pasteurised, which lets it sit at room temperature for months. Fresh pesto is never heat treated, so it keeps the green colour and the bite of the herb, but it needs chilled storage and has a shorter life.
- fresh: 2 to 6 °C, shorter shelf life, pronounced herb flavour
- pasteurised: room temperature, long shelf life, milder flavour
- a short ingredient list usually means a product closer to the original
How to read the label
Good pesto has few ingredients and you can name all of them. Check which oil was used, whether the cheese is real, and whether the herb sits near the top of the list. Utarté makes pesto by hand in Warsaw, in small batches and without preservatives, and every flavour lists its full ingredients on its product page.
Questions and answers
Questions before you start
- Does pesto have to be made with basil?
- No. Basil is the classic, but pesto is also made with parsley, rocket, spinach, coriander or wild garlic. The herb changes, the method stays.
- Is pesto vegetarian?
- Classic pesto contains aged cheese, so it is vegetarian but not vegan. Recipes differ, so always check the ingredients and allergens on the label.
- How much pesto goes into one pasta serving?
- Usually one or two spoonfuls, around 20 to 30 g. Fresh pesto is concentrated, so start with less and add more on the plate.
- How is pesto different from tapenade?
- Pesto is built on fresh herbs and oil, tapenade on olives. Both are ground, but they lead in very different directions.