Gastronomy · Glossary
Ligurian cuisine glossary: all dishes explained.
Ligurian cuisine: 50+ terms explained. From Recco focaccia to cappon magro, from pansoti to cima alla genovese. Each dish with history, ingredients and where to try it. For those who want to truly understand what to order.
First courses
Traditional Ligurian first courses.
Trofie
Short hand-rolled pasta from Genoese tradition. Traditionally served with pesto, green beans and potatoes. Originating from Recco and Sori.
Pansoti
Triangular ravioli filled with preboggion (mix of wild herbs: borage, nettle, chard). Served with walnut sauce, milk, bread, marjoram. Tigullio identity dish.
Trenette
Long thin pasta similar to linguine. Classic dressing with pesto, beans and potatoes. More common in Genoa.
Corzetti stampati
Coin-shaped pasta with hand-stamped design using wooden stamp. Pine nut and marjoram sauce. Slow artisan work.
Main courses
Mains: meat and fish.
Cima alla genovese
Veal pocket stuffed with minced meat, sweetbreads, peas, cheese, pine nuts, marjoram. Slow cooked, served cold sliced. Sunday dish.
Mixed fried fish
Small daily fish lightly fried: calamari, anchovies, whitebait (when in season), small prawns. Dry and crispy.
Stuffed anchovies
Anchovy fillets filled with breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic. Breaded and fried or baked.
Cappon magro
Rich layered salad: ship biscuits, boiled vegetables, fish, oysters, prawns, green sauce. Holiday dish, long preparation.
Baked goods
Focaccias, farinatas, savoury pies.
Recco focaccia col formaggio IGP
Two paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough with fresh crescenza cheese in middle, quick-baked in wood oven. Unique worldwide. Only in Recco. 5 min by train. Dedicated festival.
Genoese focaccia
2cm tall focaccia, topped with oil and salt. Classic for breakfast and snack. Very different from Recco focaccia.
Chickpea farinata
Thin chickpea flour sheet baked in wood oven in copper pan. Few euros per portion. Ancient poor snack.
Easter pie
Savoury pie with chard, ricotta, whole eggs hidden in dough. Traditionally Easter, now year-round.
Sauces
The base of Ligurian cuisine.
Mortar pesto
Real pesto only crushed in marble mortar with wooden pestle. DOP basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, pecorino, EVO oil, salt. Creamy, bright green. Never blender.
Walnut sauce
Sauce for pansoti: walnuts, breadcrumbs, milk, garlic, marjoram. As old as pesto.
Desserts
Traditional sweets.
Pandolce genovese
Rich Christmas cake: raisins, pine nuts, candied citron, fennel. "Tall" and "low" versions.
Canestrelli
Flower-shaped biscuits with hole, crumbly. Traditionally from Torriglia.
Castagnaccio
Poor cake of chestnut flour, pine nuts, raisins, rosemary. Autumn typical.
Where to try
Where to truly eat Ligurian.
Historic trattorias in Rapallo old town (via Mazzini, Santo Stefano) are the best place for traditional dishes with authentic quality. Complete guide: where to eat in Rapallo.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
What are pansoti?
Triangular ravioli with preboggion herbs, walnut sauce. Tigullio dish.
Trofie vs trenette?
Trofie short hand-rolled, trenette long thin. Both with pesto.
Real pesto?
Only mortar-crushed. DOP basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheeses, EVO oil. Never blender.
Where to try cappon magro?
Historic trattorias on special occasions. Ask if in daily menu.
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