Pesto became a staple in the Ligurian culinary tradition, with each family often featuring its own pesto recipe (with slight differences to the traditional ingredients). This is the main reason why pesto recipes often differ from each other. In 1944, "The New York Times" mentioned an imported canned pesto paste. In 1946, "Sunset" magazine published a pesto recipe by Angelo Pellegrini. Pesto did not become popular in North America until the 1980s and 1990s. Pesto is traditionally prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. First, garlic and pine nuts are placed in the mortar and reduced to a cream,
Sweet bean sauce and maltose give the paste its distinctive sweet taste. Similar to hoisin sauce, sweet bean sauce may be used in dishes such as Peking Duck. It is also used as a sweeter substitute for saltier yellow soybean paste. In Northern China, the sauce is also eaten with raw scallions. There are many different types of sweet bean sauces. Recipes and methods of production vary depending on the geographical region and on manufacturer preferances. In northern China, more sugar is added to the sauce. In southern China, "mantou" flour instead of sugar is commonly used as the main ingredient. Traditionally, high-quality