Pesto has been pointed out that pesto is essentially a combination of flavourful leaves, oily nuts, hard cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and lemon juice; any ingredients meeting this description can produce a pesto-like condiment. "Pesto alla siciliana", sometimes called "pesto rosso" (red pesto), is a sauce from Sicily similar to "pesto alla genovese" but with the addition of tomato, almonds instead of pine nuts, and much less basil. "Pesto alla calabrese" is a sauce from Calabria consisting of (grilled) bell peppers, black pepper and more; these ingredients give it a distinctively spicy taste. Outside Italy, the household name "pesto" has
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