WHO CAN ENTER?

The Championship is open to both professional and amateur cooks , coming from any country in the world, as long as they are of age.
The maximum number of participants is 100: 50% from Genoa and Liguria, 25% from Italy and 25% from the rest of the World. They will be accepted in order of enrolment, with the exception of those who won preliminary contests.THE BEHAVIOUR OF COMPETITORS
During the competition, competitors will have to wear the clothes given to them by the organization: an apron and a Championship hat. Competitors must only use the ingredients and equipment provided.
It is not allowed to use equipment which is different from a mortar made of marble and a wooden pestle.
It is not allowed to used ingredients which are different from those provided. Ingredients provided are: fresh PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Genoese basil, Italian pine nuts, aged Parmesan cheese, Fiore Sardo cheese (Pecorino Sardo), garlic cloves from Vessalico (Imperia), salt, PDO extra-virgin olive oil from the “Ligurian Riviera”.

PROGRAMME

The Genoa Pesto World Championship is an event which has only one prize, to be awarded to the best Genoese Pesto prepared during the competition with mortar, and using the ingredients and the equipment provided by the Association.
Competitors have 40 minutes to prepare their pestos. They are organized in 10 groups of 10 participants, each group is selected by a commission of 3 judges. Among them, 10 finalists will be selected by the jury to compete for the final prize.
The 10 finalists in the afternoon prepare their pestos and are selected by the whole group of judges.

THE JURY

The jury is made up of the President of Palatifini Association and 30 tasters (restaurant owners, professional tasters, food and wine journalists and expert cooks). The prize will go to the “Pesto” considered to be the most balanced, as regards the original recipe.
The jury is made up of ten commissions of three tasters each, composed as follows: a head taster; a Genoese restaurant owner, a member of the jury invited by the organizers. Each Commission will have to judge the “Pesto” prepared by a maximum of ten competitors.
Each Commission will fill in a standard evaluation form divided into thousandths and evaluating these elements: competitors’ manual abilities, color of the sauce, milling refinement, texture, balance of ingredients’ tastes.
The judgment of the jury is unquestionable. The President of the jury has the power of decision in case of a controversy among the judges.

PRIZES AND AWARDS

The prize for the World Champion of Pesto is, besides the glory and the world fame, a real pestle made in olive-tree wood with the handle plated in gold, worth about 2,000 Euro.
Each single competitor will receive a certificate of participation.