What Is Pesto Candy?
In the run-up to the Pesto World Championships, the organisers release what they call "gadgets,' which are essentially just gimmicks designed to generate intrigue and entice new audiences into the world of pesto. One of their most eye-catching stunts was pesto candy, which, due to our irrepressible sweet tooth, instantly piqued our interest.
Pesto in sugar form
The ingeniously named Genoa Appreciation Pills are tiny discs of bright green, basil-flavoured candy designed to set visitors up for their visit to Genoa.
The packaging is designed to mimic prescribed drugs and suggests that you imbibe one as soon as you arrive and keep the rest on hand so you can continue to enjoy miniature hits of basil as you traverse the city.
"Take one tablet and let it dissolve on your tongue as soon as you reach the city of Genoa. Take additional pills based on your needs during your stay in Liguria."
Ingredients: Sugar, flavourings, E102, E131
If you're not a big fan of basil, you'll want to get your sugar hit somewhere else. Basil lovers are likely to enjoy them, though, and the herb's natural sweetness works brilliantly in this sugary context.
The sweets' execution is unexpectedly good. We feared they would taste synthetic, but whatever flavourings have been used (there is no real basil here), they taste natural. The strength of the sweets is spot on, too.
Previous Pesto World Championship Gadgets
Other gadgets launched by the Pesto World Championship organisers include a powder to create a sparkling basil drink, a basil-scented air freshener, and a pencil that, once it has worn down too much to be of any use for writing, could be planted in soil to grow a basil plant.
The World of Unofficial Pesto Gadgets
Plenty of companies have experimented with using pesto in unusual contexts. Premium crisp maker Tyrrells once had a "Pesto and Parmesan" flavour in its range of snacks, while Just Spices makes a pesto powder that can be steeped in water to produce a sauce within minutes. Perhaps the most brazen of the lot is ice cream featuring not just basil flavouring but authentic pesto.
The most audacious pesto gadget yet
Without question, the most shameless attempt to sneak pesto into unusual contexts was the 2024 launch of a pesto ice cream that contained a small amount of Filippo Berio pesto. Sadly, it was only produced in a limited run, so we never got to try it, but those who did were impressed by the seemingly ridiculous but ultimately quite flattering combination.