pesto
pesto (pes"to) , noun
[Italian pesto, pounded, from pestare to pound, crush, from Late Latin pistare, from pinsere. See also pestle.]
(Cookery) A sauce used in Italian cuisine, typically made by blending olive oil, basil, garlic, pine nuts, and grated parmesan cheese; it is served hot or cold over pasta, meat, or fish. Where pine nuts are expensive, sunflower seeds are sometimes substituted.