Antipasti

The use of appetizers is relatively recent in Liguria. Most of these foods derive from other parts of the meal, or are the snacks of which Ligurians are so fond. I have not included standard Italian appetizers such as platters of cold cuts or generic seafood salads. These are found in Liguria now, too, but they are not classically Ligurian. You would seldom see, for example, a plate groaning with salami and hams at the start of a Ligurian meal. They are quite rich in flavor and hard on the wallet, too, since a Ligurian would only want the best quality. Ligurians do, however, like Sant’Olcese salami with fava beans in the springtime.