Sweet Basil Tastes As Good As It
Smells
Sweet Basil
Honored as the '2003 Herb of the Year'
by the International Herb Society, basil is perhaps the
only herb that tastes as good as it smells. An ancient
herb believed to have been cultivated first in India, it
is commonly found in the warm, sunny regions of Asia,
Africa and Central and South America.
Throughout
history, basil has evoked the widest spectrum of
emotions within people, from love to hate and everything
in between. The Greeks associated it with hardship and
affliction, while to the Romans it carried connotations
of love. However, there is no denying the delight of the
rich, spicy and somewhat minty flavor and fragrance held
in the sprigs and leaves of this herb.
Basil in Cooking
Basil is a traditional ingredient in Thai, Indian and
Mediterranean cooking; Italian cuisine is well known for
its love affair with basil. The most famous example of
this is pesto sauce, which stars basil as the main
ingredient and gives a delightful accompaniment to hot
and cold pasta. Basil also has remarkable affinity with
tomato and garlic in sauces. It is also the basis of
many recipes with chicken, fish, eggs and adds zest and
flavor to some of the more bland varieties of vegetable.
Health Benefits of Basil
And basil isn't without health benefits either. It has
soothing properties associated with the mint family to
which it belongs, and is be used in herbal concoctions
offering relief for nervous headaches and digestive
complaints. There are dozens of varieties of the basil plant, in
different sizes, colors and shapes of leaves, but
broadly speaking, basils can be identified by their
square stems and opposite leaves, as is characteristic
of many members of the mint family. Basils are strictly
summer plants, warm-weather plants and to thrive require
large doses of sunlight and well-drained soil.
references:
http://www.basil.com/
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/greenline/03v3/06.html
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-125.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1644.html
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/basbus17.html
The Whole Herb: For Cooking, Crafts, Gardening, Health,
and Other Joys of Life by Barbara Pleasant (Book)
Herbs for Use and for Delight by Herb Society of America
(Book)
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