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38-415: Allium ursinum , known as wild garlic , ramsons , cowleekes , cows's leek , cowleek , buckrams , broad-leaved garlic , wood garlic , bear leek , Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic , is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae . It is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows in moist woodland. It is a wild relative of onion and garlic , all belonging to

76-400: A bulb, or else on the end of small underground stems connected to the original bulb. Some lilies, such as the tiger lily Lilium lancifolium , form small bulbs, called bulbils, in their leaf axils . Several members of the onion family, Alliaceae, including Allium sativum ( garlic ), form bulbils in their flower heads, sometimes as the flowers fade, or even instead of the flowers (which is

114-441: A creamy consistency. Only then is a mix of Parmesan and pecorino added. To help incorporate the cheese, a little extra-virgin olive oil is added. In a tight jar (or simply in an air-tight plastic container), covered by a layer of extra-virgin olive oil, pesto can last in the refrigerator for up to a week and can be frozen for later use. Pesto is commonly used on pasta, traditionally with mandilli de sæa ('silk handkerchiefs' in

152-406: A few species in the genus Oxalis , such as Oxalis latifolia . A bulbil is a small bulb, and may also be called a bulblet , bulbet , or bulbel . Small bulbs can develop or propagate a large bulb. If one or several moderate-sized bulbs form to replace the original bulb, they are called renewal bulbs . Increase bulbs are small bulbs that develop either on each of the leaves inside

190-481: A form of apomixis ). The so-called tree onion ( Allium × proliferum ) forms small onions which are large enough for pickling . Some ferns, such as the hen-and-chicken fern , produce new plants at the tips of the fronds' pinnae that are sometimes referred to as bulbils. Pesto Pesto ( Italian: [ˈpesto] ) or more fully pesto alla genovese ( Italian: [ˈpesto alla dʒenoˈveːse, -eːze] ; lit.   ' Genoese pesto ' )

228-574: A marble mortar through a circular motion of a wooden pestle . The same Latin root gives us pestle . There are other foods called pesto , but pesto by itself usually means pesto alla genovese . Pesto is thought to have had two predecessors in ancient times, going back as far as the Roman age . The ancient Romans used to eat a similar paste called " moretum ", which was made by crushing garlic, salt, cheese, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar (and sometimes pine nuts) together. The use of this paste in

266-566: A paste. Then dissolve it with good and abundant oil. Lasagne and trofie are dressed with this mash, made more liquid by adding a little hot water without salt." In Italy, basil took the firmest root in the regions of Liguria , Italy, and Provence , France. It is abundant in these regions in season, and marjoram and parsley may be used when basil is out of season. Ratto mentions Dutch cheese ( formaggio olandese ) instead of pecorino sardo , since Northern European cheeses were common in Genoa at

304-524: A single leaf base and produce bright green entire, elliptical leaves up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long x 7 cm (2.8 in) wide with a petiole up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long. The inflorescence is an umbel of six to 20 white flowers, lacking the bulbils produced by some other Allium species such as Allium vineale (crow garlic) and Allium oleraceum (field garlic). The flowers are star-like with six white tepals , about 16–20 mm (0.63–0.79 in) in diameter, with stamens shorter than

342-432: A variety of recipes, some traditional and some modern, as the very noun pesto is a generic term for anything that is made by pounding. The original pesto alla genovese is made with Genovese basil , coarse salt, garlic, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil (Taggiasco), European pine nuts (sometimes toasted), and a grated cheese such as Parmesan or Grana Padano and pecorino sardo or pecorino romano . A proposal

380-511: A vegetable, in soup, or as an ingredient for a sauce that may be a substitute for pesto in lieu of basil . Leaves are also often used to make garlic butter. In Russia the stems are preserved by salting and eaten as a salad. A variety of Cornish Yarg cheese has a rind coated in wild garlic leaves. The leaves can be pickled in the same way as Allium ochotense known as mountain garlic in Korea. The bulbs can be used similarly to garlic cloves, and

418-543: Is a paste made of crushed garlic , pine nuts , salt, basil leaves , grated cheese such as Parmesan or pecorino sardo , and olive oil . It originated in the Italian city of Genoa , and is used to dress pasta and flavour genoese minestrone soup. The name pesto is the past participle of the Genoese verb pestâ ( Italian : pestare ), meaning 'to pound', 'to crush': the ingredients are "crushed" or ground in

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456-549: Is a sauce from Calabria consisting of (grilled) bell peppers, black pepper, and more; these ingredients give it a distinctively spicy taste. Outside Italy, the name pesto has been used for all sorts of cold sauces or dips, mostly without any of the original ingredients: coriander, dill, kale, mint, parsley, rocket, spinach, or wild garlic (instead of or in addition to basil), artichokes, black olives, green olives, lemon peel, lime peel, or mushrooms. In more northern countries, ramson leaves are sometimes used instead of basil. In

494-451: Is considered to be an ancient woodland indicator species. All parts of the Allium ursinum plant are edible and have culinary uses, including the flower, which can be used to garnish salads. The leaves of the Allium ursinum are the most popular part to be used in food. Leaves can be used in raw salads and carry a very subtle garlicky flavour similar to that of garlic chives. When picked

532-424: Is first documented only from the 1850s. Emanuele Rossi published La Vera Cucineria Genovese in 1852 and gastronomist Giovanni Battista Ratto published La Cuciniera Genovese in 1863: "Take a clove of garlic , basil or, when that is lacking, marjoram and parsley , grated Dutch and Parmigiano cheese and mix them with pine nuts and crush it all together in a mortar with a little butter until reduced to

570-637: Is known as pistou (from pistar , 'to pound' in Occitan ). Pistou is generally made with only olive oil, basil, and garlic, and not cheese, although some modern versions include it. Almonds or breadcrumbs can be used to give the final consistency. Pistou is used in the soupe au pistou , a hearty vegetable soup. Outside of Italy, sometimes almond, Brazil, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, walnut, or even peanuts are used instead of pine nuts, and sometimes coriander, dill, kale, mint, parsley, rocket, spinach, or wild garlic leaves are mixed in with

608-607: Is under preparation by the Palatifini Association to have pesto alla genovese included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. There is a biennial international Genovese Pesto al Mortaio competition, in which 100 finalists use traditional mortars and pestles as well as the above ingredients, which 30 local and international judges then assess. There is a slightly different version in Provence, where it

646-524: The Mesolithic settlement of Barkær (Denmark), where an impression of a leaf has been found. In the Swiss Neolithic settlement of Thayngen -Weier ( Cortaillod culture ), a high concentration of pollen from A. ursinum was found in the settlement layer, interpreted by some as evidence for use of the plant as fodder. Plants that may be mistaken for A. ursinum include lily of

684-705: The 19th century, Genovese immigrants to Argentina brought pesto recipes with them. A Peruvian variety, known as tallarines verdes (meaning 'green noodles', from Italian tagliarini ), is slightly creamier, lacks pine nuts (because of their rarity and prohibitive cost in Peru), may use spinach and vegetable oil (in place of olive oil), and is sometimes served with roasted potatoes and sirloin steak. Vegan variations may substitute miso paste and nutritional yeast for cheese. For reasons of expense or availability, almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio, walnut, or even peanuts are sometimes substituted for

722-495: The British Isles with the exception of the far north of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland . The ursinum subspecies is found in western and central Europe, while the ucrainicum subspecies is found in the east and southeast. Allium ursinum has been credited with many medicinal qualities and is a popular homeopathic ingredient. It is often used for treating cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive problems, as well as for

760-578: The Genoese dialect), trofie or trenette . Potatoes and string beans are also traditionally added to the dish, boiled in the same pot in which the pasta has been cooked. Pasta mixed with pesto has become a well-known dish in many countries today, with countless recipes available for "pasta with pesto". It is used in Genovese minestrone . Outside of Italy, pesto is sometimes served with sliced beef, tomatoes, and sliced boiled potatoes. Pesto comes in

798-691: The Roman cuisine is mentioned in the Appendix Vergiliana , an ancient collection of poems in which the author details the preparation of moretum . During the Middle Ages , a popular sauce in the Genoan cuisine was agliata , which was a mash of garlic and walnuts, as garlic was a staple in the nutrition of Ligurians, especially for the seafarers. The introduction of basil, the main ingredient of modern pesto, occurred in more recent times and

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836-405: The basil leaves. Any combination of flavourful leaves, oily nuts, hard cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and lemon juice can produce a pesto-like condiment. Pesto alla siciliana , sometimes called pesto rosso (red pesto), is a sauce from Sicily similar to pesto alla genovese but with the addition of fresh tomato and almonds instead of pine nuts, and much less basil. Pesto alla calabrese

874-656: The cows having grazed upon the plant. Ramsons is from the Saxon word hramsa , meaning "garlic". There is evidence it has been used in English cuisine since Celtic Britons over 1,500 years ago. Early healers among the Celts, Gaels, Teutonic tribes and ancient Romans were familiar with the wild herb and called it herba salutaris , meaning 'healing herb'. Allium ursinum is a bulbous, perennial herbaceous monocot , that reproduces primarily by seed. The narrow bulbs are formed from

912-504: The flowers are also edible. Parts of the plant can be used for preparing Van herbed cheese , a speciality of the Van province in Turkey. The leaves are also used as fodder. Cows that have fed on ramsons give milk that tastes slightly of garlic, and butter made from this milk used to be very popular in 19th-century Switzerland. The first evidence of the human use of A. ursinum comes from

950-463: The genera Allium , Hippeastrum , Narcissus , and Tulipa all have tunicate bulbs. Non-tunicate bulbs, such as Lilium and Fritillaria species, lack the protective tunic and have looser scales. Bulbous plant species cycle through vegetative and reproductive growth stages; the bulb grows to flowering size during the vegetative stage and the plant flowers during the reproductive stage. Certain environmental conditions are needed to trigger

988-409: The hands, one can mistake a subsequent poisonous plant for a safe one. When the leaves of A. ursinum and Arum maculatum first sprout, they look similar, but unfolded Arum maculatum leaves have irregular edges and many deep veins, while ramsons leaves are convex with a single main vein. The leaves of lily of the valley are in pairs, dull green, and come from a single reddish-purple stem, while

1026-447: The leaves bruise, making them smell even stronger. When cooked the flavour of the leaves becomes softer and sweeter. The leaf is often chopped and used to replace garlic and other herbs in many recipes. The bulb can be used in a similar way to clove garlic. Popular dishes using the plant include pesto, soups, pasta, cheese, scones and Devonnaise. All parts of A. ursinum are edible. The leaves can be used as salad, herb, boiled as

1064-518: The leaves of A. ursinum each have their own stem, are shiny when new, and are bright green. As its name suggests, A. ursinum is an important food for brown bears. The plant is also a favourite of wild boar . A. ursinum is the primary larval host plant for a specialised hoverfly, ramsons hoverfly ( Portevinia maculata ) . The flowers are pollinated by bees . Bulb The bulb's leaf bases, also known as scales , generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable

1102-462: The perianth. It flowers in the British Isles from April to June, starting before deciduous trees leaf in the spring. The flower stem is triangular in cross-section and the leaves are broadly lanceolate, similar to those of the toxic lily of the valley ( Convallaria majalis ). It is native to temperate regions of Europe, from Ireland east to the Caucasus . It is common in much of the lowlands of

1140-426: The plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is a vegetative growing point or an unexpanded flowering shoot. The base is formed by a reduced stem , and plant growth occurs from this basal plate. Roots emerge from the underside of the base, and new stems and leaves from the upper side. Tunicate bulbs have dry, membranous outer scales that protect the continuous lamina of fleshy scales. Species in

1178-436: The same genus, Allium . There are two recognized subspecies: A. ursinum subsp. ursinum and A. ursinum subsp. ucrainicum . The Latin specific name ursinum translates to 'bear' and refers to the supposed fondness of the brown bear for the bulbs; folk tales describe the bears consuming them after awakening from hibernation. Another theory is that the " ursinum " may refer to Ursa Major , as A. ursinum

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1216-475: The sterilisation of wounds. Various minerals are found in much higher amounts in Allium ursinum than in clove garlic. It is sometimes called the "magnesium king" of plants because of the high levels of this mineral found in the leaves. It grows in deciduous woodlands with moist soils, preferring slightly acidic conditions. In the British Isles, colonies are frequently associated with bluebells ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta ), especially in ancient woodland . It

1254-526: The time, thanks to the centuries-long commercial trades of the maritime republic . This recipe for pesto alla genovese was often revised in the following years (a noted revision by Emanuele Rossi occurred in 1865, only a couple of years after Ratto's Cuciniera ), and it shortly became a staple in the Ligurian culinary tradition, with many variants. An early American pesto recipe was published in 1928; it includes butter and cream. Imported, canned pesto

1292-438: The traditional pine nuts. Also, while the nuts are traditionally raw, some recipes call for prior toasting or roasting. Other nuts may be used due to the taste disturbances that some people may experience after consuming pine nuts (see pine mouth ). Many online recipes in English for pesto include black pepper or white pepper , which are not present in the usual Genoese recipe. Prepared pesto sold in supermarkets often replaces

1330-845: The transition from one stage to the next, such as the shift from a cold winter to spring. Once the flowering period is over, the plant enters a foliage period of about six weeks during which time the plant absorbs nutrients from the soil and energy from the sun for setting flowers for the next year. Bulbs dug up before the foliage period is completed will not bloom the following year but then should flower normally in subsequent years. Plants that form underground storage organs , including bulbs as well as tubers and corms , are called geophytes . Some epiphytic orchids (family Orchidaceae ) form above-ground storage organs called pseudobulbs , that superficially resemble bulbs. Nearly all plants that form true bulbs are monocotyledons , and include: The only eudicot plants that produce true bulbs are just

1368-419: The valley , Colchicum autumnale , Arum maculatum , and Veratrum viride or Veratrum album , all of which are poisonous. In Europe, where ramsons are popularly harvested from the wild, people are regularly poisoned after mistakenly picking lily of the valley or Colchicum autumnale . Grinding the leaves between the fingers and checking for a garlic-like smell can be helpful, but if the smell remains on

1406-464: Was available by 1944. In 1946, Sunset magazine published a pesto recipe by Angelo Pellegrini . Pesto became popular in North America in the 1980s and 1990s. Pesto is traditionally prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. First, garlic and pine nuts are placed in the mortar and reduced to a cream, and then the washed and dried basil leaves are added with coarse salt and ground to

1444-409: Was perhaps one of the most northerly distributed Allium species known to the ancient Greeks , though this hypothesis is disputed. Common names for the plant in many languages also make reference to bears. Cows love to eat them, hence the modern vernacular name of cows's leek. In Devon, dairy farmers have occasionally had the milk of their herds rejected because of the garlic flavour imparted to it by

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