The pesto is the most famous recipe based on Genoese PDO basil, but certainly not the only one. The famous Ligurian aromatic plant is indeed the protagonist of increasingly creative preparations. A taste is offered by the ‘Basil Genoese Day. Flavors and virtues of a PDO excellence‘ scheduled for Monday 13.1.20 at MOG, the renovated Eastern Market of Genoa.
The Basil Genoese Day
The event opens with the preview presentation of the video ‘The Basil Journey‘ by Genoese comedian Andrea Di Marco. ‘A surprising journey, where the Genoese PDO Basil, appreciated worldwide, reveals all its poetry, between vision and irony‘.
The grand final follows of the contest #pestoaparte, the culinary challenge created by the Consortium for the protection of Genoese PDO basil, which until January 8 collected proposals for new dishes based on the PDO. A reinterpretation that has already gifted connoisseurs with the Genoese PDO basil cheesecake.
Upon the appointment of the winner of the contest, established by the jury chaired by Ivano Ricchebono, follows the tasting of the two finalist recipes.
The Ligurian PDO jewel
The Genoese PDO basil is cultivated on the sea side of Liguria. It has unmistakable characteristics. The oval, small and tender leaves release an intense aroma, without any hint of mint.
It is cultivated by Ligurian farms, which guarantee the quality and origin of the product, obtained respecting the Production Specification and according to traditional methods.
There are two types of cultivation of the Genoese PDO basil, depending on the intended use of the plant,
– for fresh consumption, it is cultivated all 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 entire 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 mowing, taking only the apical part of the plant, the most tender and fragrant. In these cases, the PDO must be mentioned among the ingredients with the full name (basilico genovese PDO). Otherwise, it is another aromatic plant. As documented by our market survey.
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of journalistic investigations on food, she has published the book 'Reading labels to know what we eat'.
