Pistou or Pesto?

What is pistou, how is it made, and is it different than pesto? Pistou is derived from the more known Ligurian pesto, but it is made without nuts. A cold condiment made of crushed or chopped basil and garlic mixed with olive oil, often with a hard cheese such as parmesan, pistou is a popular part of Provencal cuisine.

A culinary vacation in Provence will surely introduce you to this tasty ingredient. Unlike the Genovese pesto, it is not usually used as a topping for pasta in Provence, but rather as a condiment for soups. The classic Provence soupe au pistou is a vegetable soup very similar to the Italian minestrone with a dollop of pistou served on top. It makes a perfect lunch on a Provence culinary vacation or a food tour in France. My kids love pistou, and it makes them more likely to eat their soup. Perhaps it is the intense flavor, or maybe they just like stirring the green dollop into their soup, but pistou is always a hit at our house. A note on the cheese: purists will insist on leaving it out, as it is a more recent addition to the recipe. I’ve read that in Nice they use Gruyere, but parmesan or pecorino are decidedly more common. Whatever you do, don’t add a soft cheese like mozzarella – it should be a sharp, hard cheese, if any. How do you make it? You can learn during hands-on cooking classes on a Provence culinary vacation, but it’s easy to make even in your own kitchen.