Pesto: the changing Ligurian landscape and architecture through the lens of the recipe for 'pesto alla genovese'

This article examines Genoese pesto as a culinary and cultural artifact, charting the complex interplay between gastronomic tradition and regional landscape transformations. Although widely regarded as an ancient recipe, the earliest documented reference to pesto appears in Ratto’s Cuciniera Genovese (1865). Like many so-called traditional dishes, it emerged through continual cultural adaptation and the dynamic use of readily available ingredients over time. The recipe and its components can be used as a lens through which to observe evolving patterns in Ligurian landscapes; the proliferation of greenhouses, the advent of modern infrastructure that facilitates alternative food and merchandise transport, and the retreat of Mediterranean forests threatened by fires and invasive species. By documenting these shifting landscapes, this article traces how food practices are deeply entwined with ongoing transformations in landscape and architecture-environmental interactions.