Can pesto kill you?

Table of Contents:

1. Can pesto kill you?
2. Can you get botulism from wild garlic pesto?
3. Is it safe to eat expired pesto?
4. What if a jar breaks during canning?

Can pesto kill you?

While it usually causes similar symptoms to food poisoning including vomiting, stomach pains and fever it can in extreme cases cause psychosis and even death. The name pesto comes from 'pestello', the Italian word for the pestle which was once used to grind basil, garlic and cheese into the well-loved sauce.

Can you get botulism from wild garlic pesto?

It's a slight risk, but a very serious one (although rare, botulism is potentially fatal). So to be on the safe side, I recommend storing home-made pesto in the fridge and using it within two weeks. Otherwise it's best frozen.

Is it safe to eat expired pesto?

Can you eat expired pesto? Pesto may still be edible after passing its recommended use date. Although the quality may have changed, an unopened jar of pesto may still be safe for the next 1 – 2 months when properly stored. Fresh store-bought pesto might be safe to consume up to 5 days after the use-by date.

What if a jar breaks during canning?

If a jar is going to break, it would most likely do it then, while it is still empty! Food and jars should be hot when placed in the canner. Sudden change in temperature create too wide a margin between temperature of filled jars and water in canner before processing. That leads to "thermal shock" in the glass jar.