Taste Genova
More than pesto
When someone says Ligurian food, pesto is probably what comes to everyone’s mind,but there is so much more.
I picked Genova to focus the guide on, because it is the capital of the region known as Liguria.
Liguria reaches all the way into France and not sure if you know, but Nice was also Italian.The borders have moved over the years. There are recipes that move up and down the coast even down into Tuscany.
I have visted most of the smaller towns and each one has something special. Most people go to the 5 Terre. La Spezie is the entry town to catch the ferry boats and or the train as well.
My husband’s grandmother was from Chiaveri. I never knew her but we have visited Chiaveri often.Do eat at Luchin, old family trattoria.
Camogli and Portofino are a couple of the other “popular” towns worth the stop. Portofino is actually hard to drive down to as it’s tiny. A larger town nearby is Santa Margherita, take a ferry boat to get to Portofino from one of the many towns on the coast.
Genova has always been a popular get away for people from Torino, which was the capital of Italy and the home to the king in the 1800’s. You see the flag of the Savoia family all around, the red and white cross called the St George cross, was also used by the Royal Family.
The city is HUGE. I like to concentrate on the historic center.
This great map was inside the Palazzo Ducale. It shows the museums of Genova.
My favorite recipe to follow is the Chickpea flour “crepe”. Where I live it is called Cecina, farther up the coast it’s called Farinata. In Genova it’s the Torta di Ceci and in Nice it’s called Socca.
The foto below is the Torta di Ceci with red onions, one of the variations
A personal favorite is the Foccaccia di Recco, a speciality from the town of Recco which is about 30 minutes south of Genova.
Paper-thin layers of dough filled with a local cheese. We found this fabulous bar which cooked ours to order. Really the best way to have it.
The other items we loved trying in various places were the other “tortes” and of course pesto! The tortes are flat savory “pies” with a simple crust. Many bakeries specialize in these and you will see so many windows filled with beautiful displays.
Making pesto outside of Liguria tastes totally different from what you get here. All the ingredients are different, so you can only follow directions and repeat with what is available to you where you live. I remember when I first moved to Italy, I tried to make pesto with an American recipe. I threw up! It was so strong!
Italian ingredients have so much more flavor and of course the Tuscan oil to a newbie was overwhelming in the “American” quantities in the recipe and the same was true for the basil, cheese and garlic.
They take everything very seriously. The correct basil has tiny leaves and is DOP. Denomination of Origin Protected.
It does make a difference.
For my paid subscribers I am including some of my favorite recipes, some with video lessons for you to try at home.
This was a wonderful street food snack we found on our walk! It’s listed on the Guide which is also free with subscription or for sale on my Thatch page.