Ligurian cuisine

Ligurian cuisine consists of dishes of the culinary tradition of Liguria, a region that includes ingredients related to both local production and imports from areas with which over the centuries, the Ligurians have had frequent contacts (such as Sardinian pecorino, one of the ingredients of pesto).

A poor cuisine, typical of the people of the country, of mountaineers and sailors, made of simple, common and cheap food, which has however become expensive and refined

If we want to sum it up we can say that the gastronomy of Liguria is characterized by six great elements:

• wild spontaneous herbs of the territory (marjoram, sage, rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, etc.) and the products of the home garden (onions, potatoes, basil, aubergines, etc.)

• the first fruits of the cultivations and woods (basil, ox heart tomatoes, courgette trumpets, asparagus and Albanian artichokes, mushrooms, Valbormida truffles, fresh fruit and dried fruit)

• the olive oil

• farinaceous products (focaccia, farinate, savory pies, etc.)

• the wide range of dry and fresh pasta

• the catch of the sea (anchovies, shrimps, octopus, octopus, cuttlefish, muscles, mullet, etc.) and game (given the high woodiness)

Ligurian cuisine is influenced by the geomorphological characteristics of its territory. It is therefore a cuisine both of sea and land, according to the natural union of the two souls that distinguish the Ligurian territory: the coast and the hinterland.

Ligurian cuisine

The Ligurian cuisine is also transformed through the centuries in relation to the social layer of the diner referred to, in addition to the place where he lives.

We pass from dishes that are popular tradition, to dishes that are elaborated on the tables of the powerful and the rich, even if compared to other traditions (for example the Emilian cuisine) the poor tradition, or rather, frugal, is much more characterizing and typical.

In fact, the kitchen uses, mostly, the foods that the place offers.

The scarcity of cattle pastures forced the Ligurians to develop dishes based on alternative ingredients such as fish and herbs, to which the game was subsequently added: this way the condiments are made with wild or cultivated herbs, among which pesto stands out. it is used both as a sauce to season pasta, or added to mainly autumnal soups rich in many varieties of fresh vegetables; importance also the many savory pies with vegetables and focaccia, among which the focaccia with Recco cheese is renowned.

There are dishes based on poor ingredients such as herbs or chestnuts. These are dishes that come from the Ligurian farmer’s table that with its tenacity has tamed the harshness of the places in order to cultivate the land on narrow strips, and above all belong to the table of the inhabitants of the most inaccessible mountain areas.

Likewise, the Ligurian cuisine is influenced by the influence of other places and peoples with which the Ligurians and Genoese have come into contact over the centuries, above all by trade and conquests.

This is how in addition to being a “localized” kitchen, inside it we find precious influences. In this sense, Ligurian cuisine is enriched by different experiences.

Just think about the spices (in addition to traditional smells or flavors) that even in ancient times were common use in Liguria but in other regions of rather rare use. Particular, then, is the use of salt, so precious for the preservation of food: without salt would not exist for example the focaccia, typical of these places and unique, even if now imitated elsewhere.

Another soul of the kitchen is the sea: there are dishes born on board the ships and those in the houses, in the families who stayed at home or on the return of their husbands.

Ligurian cuisine

Appetizers

Focaccia with olives

Chickpea flour
Anchovies in salt
White porridge
Farinata with spring onion
Farinata with rosemary
Chickpea flour
Pumpkin porridge
Focaccia with cheese
Genoese flat bread
Focaccia With Onions

Fritters of lettuce, friscioeu, or friscioli
Anchovy pasta
Meatloaf Eggplant
salame di Sant’Olcese
Pasqualina cake
Mushroom appetizer
Mixed seafood appetizer
Ligurian mixed antipasto (with local specialties from the hinterland)
Savory biscuits
Potato croquettes (breaded and fried)
Cuculli, chickpea flour pancakes
Farinata with whitebait
Focaccia with potatoes
Stuffed focaccia
Onion fritters
Batter pancakes with zucchini flowers
Batter pancakes with pumpkin and fish flowers
Octopus salad

Mortadella nostrale
Mostardella di Sant’Olcese
Mushroom mousse
Marinated olives
White pizza with potatoes and green beans
Fried meatballs
Octopus And Potatoes
Pignone sausages
Baciocca cake, potatoes and onions
Swiss chard cake
Artichoke cake
Potato cake
Rice cake
Pumpkin pie
Stuffed vegetables (with vegetables or meat and vegetables)

Sauces

Machetto or anchovy sauce
Basil pesto
Broad bean pesto
White ragout
Rabbit ragout
Game ragout (wild boar, hare, deer, etc.)
Genovese ragout,
Walnuts sauce
Truffle sauce
Green sauce
Ligurian sauce
Mushroom sauce
Sauce with “taggiasche” olives
Fish sauce

    Pasta, rice and soups

Bavette
briquettes
corzetti
Fidelini
potato gnocchi
Lasagne with Pesto
Ligurian lasagne
Fish lasagnetta
Linguine alla genovese
Genovese soup
Pancotto, is the cheapest food ever, also typical of Lucanian cuisine,
panigacci
pansoti
Pappardelle
Ligurian ravioli
Borage ravioli
Artichokes risotto
Risotto with seafood
Mushroom risotto
Risotto with trombette sauce
Cutters
Trenette
Trofie

Ligurian cuisine

Fish

Anchovies in brine, desalted, in oil
Stuffed anchovies (or sardines)
Codfish green
Of Salt cod fritters,
gianchetti
Rossetti
Molluscs with marinara
Gulf Molluscs.
Stuffed molluscs
Pignurin with tomato sauce [24]
Cuttlefish In zimino
Cuttlefish alla spezzina
Stockfish
Genovese Tuna fish

Meat

Roasted lamb
Goat with beans
Meat with ciappa
Cima alla Genovese
Ligurian boar with polenta
Ligurian rabbit (with olives and pine nuts)

Frizze from Val Bormida, liver and pork sausage
Black cock of the Val di Vara
Giancu e negru (Black and white), fried mixed with the Genoese of lamb offal
Ham of Castelnuovo Magra

Ligurian chicken fricassee
Game (eg deer, roe deer, hare)
Fried steaks
Roasted turkey
Headcheese
Genoese tripe
Fried tripe
Tripe salad

Ligurian Cheeses

Brussu of the Arroscia Valley
Caprino
Casareccio of Gorreto
Formaggetta of the Graveglia valley
Formina of the Vara Valley
Formaggetta of Stella San Giovanni
Brugnato mozzarella
Bad but good of Brugnato
Vaise
Mollana
Ligurian Ricotta (Recottu)
San Sté
Toma of Brigasca sheep
Toma of Mendatica

Ligurian wines

Ormeasco

Rossese di Dolceacqua

Rossese di Dolceacqua superiore

Vermentino

Moscatello di Taggia

Pigato

Rossese d’Albenga

Nostralino di Finalborgo e di Magliolo,

Bianchetta Genovese

Bianco Tigullio

Bianco di Coronata

Ciliegiolo del Tigullio

Ciliegiolo novello del Tigullio

Moscato del Tigullio

Rosso del Tigullio

Spumante del Tigullio

Vermentino del Tigullio

Albarola

Bianco di Luni

Bianco di Levanto

Novello di Levanto

Rosso di Levanto

Rosso di Luni

Sciachetrà

Vermentino di Luni

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