1. Translate each phrase in italiano! 1.the popular girls ________________________ 2.the French boys _________________________ 3.the sky blue notebook _____________________ 4.the happy aunts _______________________ 5.the English school ________________________ 6.the strong men ___________________________ 7.the Japanese flag ___________________________ 8.the green houses ___________________________ 9.the patient principal _________________________ 10.the unhappy lady ____________________________ 11.the Portughuese teacher ________________________ 12.the sad dogs _______________________ 13.The smart cats _______________________ 14.The funny professor ____________________ 15.The Italian Vespa _______________________

2. La Storia del Pesto (The History of Pesto)

3. Un po’ di storia… A little bit of history… Pesto originally comes from the region of Liguria Liguria is a region of Northern Italy (Italia del Nord) that is connected with France and two other Italian regions Piemonte and Toscana Liguria is divided into four main areas (Imperia, Savona, Genoa, La Spezia) Ligurian gastronomy (cooking is characterized by aromatic herbs…like basil)

4. Liguria has a long history of Pasta and Pesto making (ever since Marco Polo) The use of herbs in this region dates back to the Middle Ages During this time, Italy was not a country but a series of City States (Repubbliche) During this time there were four big Maritime Republics (Repubbliche Marittime) –Genova, Venezia- always in competition

5. What do we know about spices in the old world? Spices originally come from China and India (The East) Were worth a lot of money- high monetary value Venezia had the monopoly on spices Herbs were used above all by poor people This tradition of using herbs in food gave birth to Pesto sauce!

6. Pesto…e allora? Pesto is the symbol of Ligurian and Genovese cuisine It’s a cold sauce or condiment that has become very popular throughout the world in a very short amount of time What renders it unique is the basil Genovese basil is characterized by certain properties and aromas Where Genovese basil grows is what gives it these characteristics In Ancient Greece people used basil as ornamental flowers, the Arabs used it as a medicine and in India it was a sacred plant

7. What’s in Pesto…? Pesto consists of basil (basilico), pine nuts, salt, olive oil, pecorino cheese or parmesan cheese Pesto is made by using a pestal and mortar and actually crushing the ingredients together (mortaio e pestello=mortar and pestel A typical kind of pasta that is used with pesto is called trofie/trofiette But pesto can also be used with any type of pasta…. There is even a red version of pesto…

8. Different types of pasta al pesto Fusilli, penne, trofie, tagliatelle, spaghetti, farfalle….