Liguria Food
Explore Liguria Food: Local Food Products & Traditional Dishes
Ligurian cuisine is shaped by its narrow geography — where the mountains meet the sea — and by centuries of maritime trade centered on Genoa. Local ingredients are modest but carefully handled: basil, olive oil, seafood, wild herbs, and preserved vegetables define much of the regional cooking.
We spent a month in Genoa exploring the historic food shops and daily markets. In this guide, we present Liguria’s essential food products and traditional dishes, from its famed pesto alla genovese to rustic vegetable pies and fritters.
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Local Food Products in Liguria
Liguria’s food products reflect its narrow coastline, mountain terraces, and centuries of Mediterranean trade. The region’s defining ingredients are simple but potent: basil, olives, anchovies, and wild greens form the foundation of many traditional dishes.
Several products have earned EU protections such as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). These include Basilico Genovese PDO, grown near the sea in Liguria’s Riviera di Levante, and Riviera Ligure PDO olive oil, pressed from Taggiasca and other regional olive cultivars. Salt-cured anchovies from the Ligurian Sea, known as Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure PGI, are another cornerstone of local cooking.
Beyond these protected specialties, Ligurian cuisine draws on small-scale pasta traditions (like trofie and trenette), preserved vegetables, and artisanal charcuterie. From seaside towns to mountain villages, these products form the backbone of Liguria’s distinctive food culture.
Protected Products
Basilico Genovese PDO
Basilico Genovese PDO refers to basil grown in specific coastal areas of Liguria under tightly controlled conditions. It is the key ingredient in pesto alla genovese and is protected for its aroma, leaf shape, and growing method.
Riviera Ligure PDO
Riviera Ligure PDO olive oil is made primarily from Taggiasca olives, along with other local cultivars like Lavagnina and Razzola. It is produced in defined coastal areas of Liguria and known for its delicate flavor and low acidity.
Acciughe Sotto Sale del Mar Ligure PGI
Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure PGI are anchovies preserved in salt, made using traditional methods in Ligurian coastal towns. Only anchovies of the Engraulis encrasicolus species, caught in the Ligurian Sea, may be used.
Other Products
Pesto Genovese
Pesto Genovese is Genoa’s most iconic food product, traditionally made with Basilico Genovese PDO, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, salt, and Riviera Ligure PDO olive oil.
Trofie
Trofie is a small handmade pasta that forms the base of many traditional Genoese dishes. Trofie is shaped by rolling a sized piece of dough back and forth between your knuckles and a flat surface until a twist has naturally formed.
Trenette
Trenette is a long pasta like linguine, but thinner and narrower.
Olives and Olive Oil
Local olive oil is produced from the Taggiasca olive. The olives grow across Liguria, but the western part of the region from Genoa to the French border is particularly well known.
Taggiasca olives are small and dark with a fruity flavor. The oil from the olives is typically sweet with low acidity and pairs well with local fish and seafood.
Genoa Salami
Genoa Salami aka Salame Genovese is a seasoned pork salami flavored with red wine, garlic, and spices. It is a traditional product of inland Liguria, though not PDO- or PGI-protected.
Traditional Dishes in Liguria
Liguria’s traditional dishes showcase how coastal ingredients and mountain products can coexist in a unified cuisine. The region’s cooking relies heavily on olive oil, wild herbs, local greens, preserved fish, and seasonal vegetables — with relatively little meat.
Genoa, the regional capital, is at the center of these food traditions. Dishes like pesto alla genovese, focaccia, and minestrone alla genovese are prepared across the region, but every town and valley adds its own twist. Inland areas specialize in vegetable pies and fresh pasta with nut- or cheese-based sauces, while coastal zones focus on anchovies, squid, and salt-preserved seafood.
Many Ligurian recipes were developed out of necessity — to preserve ingredients, stretch small portions, or feed seafaring communities. The result is a cuisine that’s flavorful, resourceful, and deeply tied to place.
Appetizers
Focaccia
Focaccia is salty, olive oil-flavored bread that comes in many forms and is often topped with olives, onions, or cherry tomatoes.
Focaccia di Recco PGI is a thin, unleavened cheese focaccia made with stracchino cheese and wheat flour. It originates from Recco, a coastal town near Genoa, and holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
Farinata di Ceci
Farinata di Ceci is a simple, oven-baked flatbread made with chickpea flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.
Cappon Magro
Cappon Magro is a seafood and vegetable salad served on a hardtack cracker with green sauce. The ingredients typically include shellfish, white fish, carrots, potatoes, celery, olives, capers, and hard-boiled eggs.
Cappon magro is traditionally served as a celebratory antipasto, especially during holidays.
Main Courses
Fried Squid and Anchovies
Fried squid and anchovies (fritto misto) are typical food sold by street vendors in the Porto Antico area.
Though often enjoyed as street food, fried squid and anchovies are also served as a second course in Ligurian meals.
Cima alla Genovese
Cima alla Genovese is a traditional dish made by stuffing veal breast with numerous ingredients including ground meat, various offal, pork fat, pistachios, peas, carrots, onions, garlic, hard-boiled eggs, bread, and numerous spices. The loaf is sewn together with a needle and thread and then cooked for a long period of time.
Trofie al Pesto
Trofie al pesto is one of the most famous dishes in Genoa. It is a combination of two local products: trofie and Genovese pesto.
Pansoti with Nut Sauce
Pansoti is a special kind of pasta made in the shape of a triangle, it is filled with vegetables and dressed in walnut sauce (Salsa di noci) and cream.
Ravioli alla Genovese
Ravioli alla Genovese is pasta filled with a mixture of meat seasoned with endive and borage and served with a sauce called tocco. The sauce is made from the slow-cooked meat used for the filling. The dish is finished with freshly grated Parmigiano.
Torta pasqualina
Torta pasqualina is a layered savory pie traditionally made for Easter. It contains spinach or chard, eggs, and prescinsêua, a soft Ligurian curd cheese, enclosed in thin layers of pastry.
Torta di bietole
Torta di bietole is another popular dish made with chard. It is a type of pie that can be found in almost every bakery or restaurant in the city.
Trippa Genovese
Trippa Genovese is lining from the stomach of cows slow-cooked with tomato sauce.
Stoccafisso alla Genovese
Stoccafisso alla Genovese is a classic Ligurian stew made from dried cod cooked with potatoes, tomatoes, pine nuts, and raisins.
Desserts
Pandolce Genovese
Pandolce Genovese is a typical sweet bread made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and lemon juice filled with raisins and pine nuts.
Torta Sacripantina
Torta Sacripantina is a three-layer cake filled with two different creams. The sponge cake is soaked in sweet Marsala wine. The cream fillings can be traditional custard, chocolate and hazelnut, or zabaione flavored.
FAQs About Liguria Food
What food is Liguria famous for?
Liguria is known for:
- Pesto alla Genovese
- Focaccia (including Focaccia di Recco PGI)
- Trofie and Trenette pasta
- Seafood dishes like fried anchovies and stoccafisso alla genovese
- Vegetable pies such as torta pasqualina and torta di bietole
What is Liguria’s most iconic dish?
Pesto alla Genovese is Liguria’s most iconic recipe. It combines basil (preferably Basilico Genovese PDO), garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and cheese.
What is Focaccia di Recco?
Focaccia di Recco PGI is a thin, unleavened focaccia filled with stracchino cheese, baked until crisp and golden. It originates from Recco, near Genoa.
What pasta is typical of Liguria?
Liguria is known for:
- Trofie – short, twisted pasta often served with pesto
- Trenette – linguine-like pasta also paired with pesto
- Pansoti – filled pasta served with walnut sauce
What oils are used in Ligurian cuisine?
Riviera Ligure PDO olive oil is the region’s signature. Made from Taggiasca and other local cultivars, it has a mild, fruity flavor.
What vegetables are typical in Ligurian dishes?
Wild herbs, chard, spinach, artichokes, and peas are commonly used in Ligurian vegetable pies, stuffings, and sauces.
What seafood dishes are traditional in Liguria?
Acciughe sotto sale (PGI) – salt-cured anchovies
Fritto misto – fried squid and anchovies
Cappon magro – layered seafood and vegetable salad
Stoccafisso alla genovese – dried cod stew
Is Ligurian food vegetarian-friendly?
Yes. Many dishes are vegetable-based: farinata, vegetable pies, minestrone alla genovese, walnut sauce pastas, and focaccia are common vegetarian options.