The pesto is the most famous recipe based on Genovese PDO basil, but certainly not the only one. The famous Ligurian aromatic plant is in fact the protagonist of increasingly creative preparations. A taste is offered by the ‘Genovese Basil Day. Flavors and virtues of a PDO excellence‘ scheduled for Monday 13.1.20 at MOG, the renewed Eastern Market of Genoa.
The Genovese Basil Day
The event opens with the preview presentation of the video ‘The Basil Journey‘ by the Genoese comedian Andrea Di Marco. ‘A surprising journey, where the Genovese PDO Basil, appreciated worldwide, reveals itself in all its poetry, between vision and irony‘.
The grand final follows of contest #pestoaparte, the culinary challenge created by the Consortium for the protection of Genovese PDO basil, which until January 8 has collected proposals for new dishes based on the PDO. A reinterpretation that has already awarded connoisseurs the Genovese PDO basil cheesecake.
At the appointment of the winner of the contest, established by the jury chaired by Ivano Ricchebono, the tasting of the two finalist recipes follows.
The Ligurian PDO jewel
Genovese PDO basil is cultivated on the sea side of Liguria. It has unmistakable characteristics. The leaves are oval, small and tender, releasing an intense aroma, without a hint of mint.
It is cultivated by Ligurian farms, which guarantee the quality and origin of the product, obtained in compliance with the Production Specification and according to traditional methods.
There are two types of cultivation of the Genovese PDO basil, depending on the intended use of the plant,
- for fresh consumption, is grown year-round in greenhouses and hand-picked, plant by plant. The product, accompanied by the PDO logo and that of the producer, is sold in the typical bouquet, composed of the whole plant complete with roots and soil,
– for industrial processing and used as an ingredient in other food products, it is mainly grown outdoors in summer and harvested by cutting, taking only the apical part of the plant, the most tender and fragrant. In these cases, the PDO must be listed among the ingredients with its full name (Genoese basil PDO). Otherwise, it is another aromatic plant. As documented by our market research.
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of investigative reports on food, she published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
