16 Traditional Foods
You Have To Try in Genoa

This traditional Ligurian dish is a simple, oven-baked flatbread made only with chickpea flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. Its origins can be traced to Roman times, but according to legend, farinata as we know it today is said to have been invented in August of 1284, when the Republic of Genoa defeated Pisa in the battle of Meloria in the Ligurian Sea. On their way back home, the Genoese ships were hit by a tempest, and some of the olive oil and chickpea flour barrels broke, they were mixed together, then moistened by salty sea water. After the tempest, realizing they didn’t have anything else to eat, the sailors put this mixture to dry in the sun and consumed it. Often flavored with rosemary, farinata di ceci can be eaten plain or enjoyed with creamy stracchino or crescenza cheese and a touch of pesto alla Genovese.Expand

Trofie al pesto is one of the most famous, if not the most famous dish from the Italian region of Liguria. The dish is a combination of two elements: trofie, the Ligurian hand-rolled pasta made with flour and water, and pesto, a famous green sauce consisting of seven elements: basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, and two types of cheese. The authentic pesto Genovese should contain basilico Genovese, extra-virgin Ligurian olive oil, high-quality garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, and Pecorino cheese from Rome, Tuscany, Sardegna, or Sicily. Trofie al pesto is traditionally served in small portions, as a first course, where tiny trofie perfectly pick up pesto's fine consistency, resulting in a symphony of flavors in each bite.Expand

The simplest version of this Ligurian pasta dish consists of trenette noodles (or bavette, alternatively) and pesto Genovese basil sauce - another Ligurian specialty that hails from the city of Genova. However, most traditional recipes also include boiled diced potatoes and green beans, while the pasta sauce gets its creamy richness from a combination of pecorino and parmesan cheese. In Liguria, trenette or bavette al pesto are often served sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and some extra grated parmesan.Expand

Pandolce is a sweet Italian Christmas bread from Genoa consisting of flour, sugar, butter, milk, raisins, eggs, lemon juice, and pine nuts. Its texture is both delicate and tough, dry and moist. Originally, whole families participated in the preparation of pandolce: the women made the cake, the youngest carried it to the table, and the oldest family member would slice it after everyone had kissed the cake. The first slice was always saved for the first beggar who would knock on the door. Today, it can be found in shops throughout Genoa from the 1st of December, and it is recommended to pair it with a glass of chilled prosecco.Expand

One of the very bases of traditional Italian cuisine, minestrone is a thick, chunky soup made with whichever vegetables are in season. Historically, being a poor man's food dating as far back as the year 30 CE, this peasant-style soup was made with a mashed bean or spelt base and leftovers from various contorni (side dishes) and other meals. Today, even though there's not a set recipe for this dish and every region has its own version, the most common ingredients include stock, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, and legumes. The vegetables are cut-up and simmered for quite a long time, but they must not turn mushy. Lastly, pasta or rice can be added to round-up this inexpensive, yet filling dish. Depending on the method of cooking, these flavorful soups are divided into two main categories: minestrone a crudo and minestrone col soffritto. While the first version uses raw vegetables and often garlic-flavored olive oil added towards the end of cooking, minestrone col soffritto is made with vegetables which are first sautéed in butter, oil, pork fat or lard, together with pancetta (bacon) and pork rind. The perfect comfort food to warm a cold day, minestrone is even better when made in advance and served reheated, as it takes some time for the flavors to fuse and deepen.Expand

Cappon magro is a flavorful seafood and vegetable salad from Liguria served on a hardtack cracker. The salad is visually appealing since the ingredients are traditionally arranged in a colorful pyramid and drizzled with green sauce. Some of the most common ingredients used in cappon magro include lobsters, white fish, carrots, potatoes, celery, olives, capers, and hard-boiled eggs. The dish is usually reserved for special, festive occasions.Expand

The word ravioli denotes various kinds of pasta made by placing a filling between two thin layers of dough. The pasta used is typically wheat flour and egg based, and it acts as an enclosure while also binding with the sauce or broth the ravioli is cooked or served in. Ravioli are usually served boiled with a sauce as a first course, or boiled and served in broth as a traditional winter dish. Ravioli fillings include diverse varieties of meat, cheese, and vegetables, and they vary from region to region. There are also sweet ravioli, which are usually deep-fried. Although no one is certain when the first ravioli were made exactly, the earliest written recipe for ravioli appears in a 14th-century document written by Francesco di Marco, a Tuscan merchant. Today, modern regional varieties are distinguished by their fillings, by the ingredients used in the dough (such as olive oil in southern Italy), and by their shape, which can be square, round, rectangular, or half-moon with straight or serrated edges.Expand

Ravioli alla Genovese is one of the favorite traditional Ligurian dishes and an inevitable Christmas classic. Filled with a mixture of meat, endive, and borage, ravioli alla Genovese are traditionally served with a sauce called tocco, or tuccu in the Genoese dialect – that is why they are also known as ravioli al tocco. Tocco is a sauce prepared with a single cut of meat, cooked for hours on a very low temperature. The sauce is used to flavor the ravioli, while the meat is partly used for the filling, and partly served as a main dish. Finished with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano, ravioli alla Genovese are a truly authentic gastronomic experience and a must-try when visiting Genoa.Expand

Bruschetta is a traditional appetizer that's nowadays popular throughout the world. In its simplest form known as fettunta, this classic appetizer consists of a grilled slice of bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. According to Marcella Hazan, a cookery writer and one of the foremost authorities on Italian cuisine, the history of bruschetta dates back to ancient Rome – its name stems from the old Latin bruscare (meaning “to roast over coals”). Once merely a snack of Italian farmers and olive pickers, the versatile bruschetta has grown into one of the most delicious antipasti Italian cuisine has to offer. Nowadays, bruschetta comes in virtually infinite varieties: spread with bell pepper, mushroom, eggplant, or zucchini pâtés, and topped with small chunks of eggplant, figs, scamorza cheese, mozzarella, or even anchovies, prosciutto, or various types of salami. However, even though it might seem that there isn’t much to this simple grilled bread appetizer, the secret to a perfect bruschetta is in its simplicity.Expand

Sacripantina is a delicious dome-shaped cake from Genoa, created by Giovanni Preti in 1851. Allegedly named after Sacripante, one of the characters in the chivalric poems of the famous Italian Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto, this creamy treat consists of soft layers of pan di Spagna soaked in sweet Marsala wine, covered with two different, but equally delicious creams: one flavored with zabaione, and the other one with cocoa. Sacripantina is best enjoyed well-chilled, sprinkled with extra crumbs of pan di Spagna.Expand