What Is Peruvian Pesto?
Short answer
Tallarines verdes ("green noodles" in English) is a pasta dish whose vibrant colour comes from Peruvian pesto sauce.
Long answer
Peruvian pesto is the nickname for a sauce that features spinach, basil, garlic, queso fresco, olive oil, and, somewhat controversially, condensed milk. It is inspired by the recipe for basil pesto, which Italian immigrants took to Peru when settling there in the early 19th century.
The sauce resembles traditional Italian pesto, thanks to the inclusion of basil, garlic, and olive oil. However, it has several regional twists, including switching Parmesan for fresh (fresco) cheese and substituting pine nuts for walnuts. Adding a highly unconventional ingredient, condensed milk, gives it a super-creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that we can only describe as an acquired taste.
The sauce is popular in neighbouring Ecuador and Bolivia and is almost always served with spaghetti, fried chicken, or grilled steaks. Just like in Italian cuisine, there is a red version of the sauce that gets its colour from the inclusion of tomatoes and the deep burgundy Aji Panca chilli that makes its way into many of the country's dishes.
Peruvian pesto recipe for 10 servings
| Spinach | 200g |
| Queso fresco | 150g |
| Condensed milk | 125g |
| Basil | 60g |
| Olive oil | 60g |
| Walnuts | 25g |
| Onion | x1 |
| Garlic | x2 cloves |
| Salt | pinch |
| Lime | squeeze |
| Butter | knob |
Method
Dice the onion and sweat it in butter until softened but not browned.
Add to a food processor along with everything except the olive oil and blitz to your ideal consistency.
Transfer everything to a mixing bowl and stream in the olive oil, stirring by hand.
Serve with perfectly al-dente spaghetti (around 75g per person) and accompany with a protein of your choice.