Albenga is in one of the most important region for what it is known as the "Mediterranean cuisine" and has a cooking based mainly on the natural products that have always existed in the region which strecthes between the mountains and the sea. Many dishes are based on many types of the Ligurian sea fish food. On example is the"Zuppa di pesce" a kind of soup with rock fish and mussles. In Albenga fish is still "fished", in the sense that - apart from the molluscs nowadays cultivated everywhere - it is obtained through the ancient way, throwing the nets into the sea and not using farmed fish. Quality varies depenfing on the season.

Many other things are also well known as the olive oil, the excellent grapes and some vegetables. Just to make an example the artichokes of the piana are famous all over Italy and the world and are served as nice dishes in many restaurants. All of them are ancient products, renowed before the discovery of America. In addition there are obviously cereals legumes and onions. Wines of the area are also very good. and the best produced here are Pigato and Rossese, they are a delicious mixture of grapes with sunshine and salty air. Other typical dishes around the area are: the Pasqualina beet greens pie, the Genoa style stuffed cima, the fried pumpkin flowers, Ravioli and Panzerotti with walnut sauce or pansoti, the chickpea pie.

But the entire area is probably best known around the world for that tiny nice green plant called "Basil" from which comes out the real thing: the Pesto. It seems easy to make this particular sauce. Infact we are only talking about a sauce. You must have "Basil" plant, oil, and pecorino cheese. Some variants uses parmisan cheese ore other small different components to add different taste. But it is perhaps the water, the soil, the salty air that makes the difference. You have to cut it in little pieces and then treat it until you reach the state of a sauce. You can than add it to almost every kind of pasta. This sauce is so good and tasty that some of it is exported all over the world. Last - but not least take a taste of the many home-made type ice creams that around here are famous for the variety of tastes. After a long walking around you deserve it.

Enrico Pelos, Albenga editor, Liguria (general) editor, Osinga.com, Genoa, Italy.

pelos@tn.village.it

http://www.global.village.it/~pelos/index.htm