What You Need to Know
Blending basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil to create a smooth emulsion, using the natural oils in basil as an emulsifier.
Ligurian chefs use this technique to create the classic pesto sauce.
Key Parameters
Equipment
mortar and pestlefood processormicroplane gratercheesecloth
Steps
- 1.
Pesto Genovese (Italy): Traditional preparation method
- 2.
Pistou (France): Provençal variation without nuts
- 3.
Pesto Trapanese (Sicily): Tomato-based variation
The Science
Primary Reaction
Emulsification