Fava Bean Pesto (Marò)

The origins of fava beans pest (also called in the West Italian Riviera dialect “pestun de fave” or “marò“) are very ancient. The word “marò” likely comes from the Arabic “mar-a” which means seasoning. This recipe, therefore, might come from the Saracens invasions (in the lower Middle Ages). And likely the Saracens thought the Liguria peasants to combine this sauce with meat. According to another easier theory, instead, the word “marò” means coming from the mariners. In any case it was a humble seasoning, made by the Liguria peasants with the raw materials at their disposal during spring time and was mostly used to season the bread.