Pesto is a noun for a green Italian sauce made by pounding or blending basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, and olive oil. In everyday use it, or pesto sauce, describes the vibrant, herbal condiment common in Italian and broader Mediterranean cooking. It’s typically served tossed with pasta or as a spread, its fresh, garlicky flavor signature.
"I whisk pesto into warm pasta for a quick, bright dinner."
"She spread basil pesto on toasted bread as an appetizer."
"The recipe calls for pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil to make a smooth pesto."
"We added sun-dried tomatoes to the pesto for extra depth."
Pesto originates from the Italian phrase pesto, meaning “crushed” or “pounded,” from the Latin pestus/picere meaning to crush. The modern sauce pesto Genovese came into broader recognition in Italian culinary tradition, particularly around Genoa in Liguria, where the recipe emphasized crushed fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, cheese (traditionally Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino), and olive oil. The term itself is attested in Italian cooking texts from the 18th century, aligning with the regional pesto tradition that prioritizes a mortar-and-pestle method. In English, pesto entered common usage in the 20th century as Italian cuisine gained global popularity, with the Genovese version serving as the archetype. Over time, “pesto” has come to describe various green herb sauces beyond basil, though the classic Genovese form remains the standard reference in culinary contexts. The first known printed use in English appears in recipe collections and food journalism of the mid-1900s, reflecting its adoption by home cooks and chefs worldwide. Ultimately, pesto symbolizes a flavor-forward, herbaceous sauce rooted in Ligurian cooking and shared through modern Mediterranean dining.
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Words that rhyme with "Pesto"
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Pesto is pronounced PES-toh, with the stressed first syllable. In US and UK English, it’s typically /ˈpɛs.toʊ/ or /ˈpɛs.təʊ/; the second syllable has a clear /o/ vowel, and the final /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ reflects accent. In practice, say P as in pit, E as in bet, S as in sing, to sound like PES-t-oh, with a crisp t and a rounded, light o at the end. Audio references can help: search pronunciation video or dictionary audio for /ˈpɛst.oʊ/ (US) or /ˈpes.təʊ/ (UK).
Common mistakes include softening the /t/ into a flap or a D-like sound (pe-sto becomes pedo), and mispronouncing the final vowel as an American /oʊ/ when the speaker is UK/AU. To correct: keep a clean, alveolar /t/ with a brief, released stop, and end with a clear /oʊ/ (US) or /əʊ/ (UK). Also avoid reducing the first syllable by shortening it too much; aim for a distinct PES- portion before the final vowel. Practice with minimal pairs to lock in the two-syllable rhythm.
In US English, pesto is typically /ˈpɛs.toʊ/ with a rhotic r-less ending and a full /oʊ/ diphthong. In UK English, it’s /ˈpes.təʊ/ with a non-rhotic rhoticity, a reduced second syllable, and a monophthong /əʊ/. Australian English tends toward /ˈpɛs.təʊ/ or /ˈpɛs.təʊ/ with a flattened /əʊ/ and a light, non-stressed second syllable. Across all, keep the initial /p/ and /s/ crisp and ensure the second syllable has proper vowel quality for the accent you are using.
The difficulty often lies in balancing the two-syllable rhythm with the final vowel. The initial /p/ and /s/ require precise articulation to avoid a club-like ‘pest’ without the ‘to’ sound. The final vowel varies by accent: US /oʊ/ is a diphthong that slides from /o/ to /ʊ/; UK/AU often use a schwa or reduced /əʊ/. Practicing the two-syllable breakdown and endings helps; pay attention to the blueprint of /ˈpɛs/ plus a clean, rounded or reduced final vowel depending on your target accent.
A unique aspect is the second syllable’s vowel; in many accents the second vowel is not a full /oʊ/ in practice but a reduced or clipped /ə/ or /əʊ/. That makes pesto sound like PES-tə in some UK and AU variants, while US speakers often retain a clearer /toʊ/ ending. Focusing on the final vowel’s quality and length, depending on context and speaker, will yield natural-sounding pesto across accents.
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