Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and often Parmesan, used on pasta or in soups and stews.
  • noun A soup or stew flavored with this sauce.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A cold sauce made from cloves of garlic, fresh basil, and olive oil.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Provençal, from pestar, to crush, from Old Provençal, from Late Latin pistāre; see piston.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French, from Late Latin pistāre ("to crush").

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Examples

  • Q I noticed something called pistou at a French restaurant.

    The Sunday Mail - Home 2009

  • Taste; add the remaining tablespoon of basil pistou or a bit of vinegar as needed.

    Groundwork: A winter squash named Cushaw Adrian Higgins 2010

  • Transfer the roasted mixture to the bowl; toss with the 2 tablespoons of reserved basil pistou.

    Groundwork: A winter squash named Cushaw Adrian Higgins 2010

  • For the pistou: Combine the basil, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

    Groundwork: A winter squash named Cushaw Adrian Higgins 2010

  • Cassis itself is a delight, a bustling fishing port with dozens of restaurants, each attempting to outdo the other with their pistou soup and bouillabaisse.

    Budget wine trips in France 2011

  • Reserve 3 tablespoons for the next part of this recipe; store the remaining pistou in a container (preferably glass) in the refrigerator or freezer.

    Groundwork: A winter squash named Cushaw Adrian Higgins 2010

  • Although a busy campaign schedule meant he only stopped in for the main course soupe au pistou with summer vegetables and lamb and passed on the baked stuffed peaches, Ms. Waters managed to slip a fresh peach into the president's hand at the last minute.

    Stone-Fruit Salad With Sugared Berries Kitty Greenwald 2011

  • Lori Eanes for The Wall Street Journal At left, pan-seared salmon with fava beans stew, pistou, eggplant caviar and basil leaves, one of Chef Salazar's signature dishes.

    Low-Key French Lunch 2010

  • Low-Key French Lunch Lori Eanes for the Wall Street Journal Pan-seared salmon with fava beans stew, pistou, eggplant caviar and basil leaves, one of Chef Leo Salazar's signature dishes.

    Café Claude 2010

  • Lori Eanes for The Wall Street Journal At left, pan-seared salmon with fava beans stew, pistou, eggplant caviar and basil leaves, one of Chef Salazar's signature dishes.

    Low-Key French Lunch 2010

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