Pasta and Grammar?

Pesto and Tagliatelle

Culinary:
Pesto: a Ligurian pasta sauce made with basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and cheese. Pesto alla Siciliana is another type of pesto similar to the basic genoese pesto recipe with the addition of tomato and much less basil.

Grammar:
The word "pesto" is the first person present form of the verb pestare, which means to step on or mash. This is a reference to the ingredients being mashed to form the sauce. Therefore, the actual term "pesto" could be applied to a number of different sauces in addition to the common basil pesto.


Culinary:
Tagliatelle: a classic pasta of the Emilia Romagna region. The pasta is in the shape of long, flat, ribbons very similar to the shape of fettucine. Ssince tagliatelle is generally made as fresh pasta, the texture is porous and rough, making it ideal for thick sauces.

Grammar:
The word "tagliatelle" is the diminuitive of tagliata, from the past participle of the verb tagliare, which means to cut. The name, tagliatelle, is a reference to the cutting of the pasta.