pesto

Meaning

A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛstoʊ/

Etymology

1937, from Italian pesto, from Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”). Cognate to pestle.

Sentences

This is the main reason why pesto recipes often differ from each other .