The story
Pesto belongs to Genoa, the port capital of Liguria, and its name comes from the local verb for pounding, since it is made in a mortar. Its ancestors include a Roman paste of herbs, garlic and cheese and the medieval Genoese garlic sauce called agliata, but basil took centre stage only in the 19th century. The first known recipe appears in Giovanni Battista Ratto's 1863 cookbook La Cuciniera Genovese, which calls for garlic, basil, cheese and pine nuts crushed together. In Liguria it is traditionally tossed with trofie or trenette. Abroad, it became a global favourite from the 1980s onward.
Also known as pesto alla genovese, Genovese pesto, trofie al pesto, basil pesto pasta.
On the Meridish menu
Pasta al pesto was the rice & noodles course on menu No. 8 on October 8, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Basil, pine nuts, garlic, hard cheese and olive oil pounded in a marble mortar and tossed with twisty trofie. The first known recipe is in an 1863 cookbook from this port city.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
