Oxford Eagle article
August 2013

 Basil, The King of Herbs 
By Anna Haller
 
History 
 
Basil, an annual  plant of the mint family has a long history. It probably first appeared in Africa and then spread to India where it is revered to this day. It has been cultivated for over 5000 years and written history of the herb began 4,000 years ago in Egypt where it was used as an embalming and preserving herb. 

It is mentioned in the writings of both  the Greek, Theophastrus around 300 BC, and Dioscurides.  In Spain, during the Moorish occupation, an Arab agriculturist wrote a treatise in which he mentions many kinds of Basil used for medicine and cooking.  In England basil was first written about in the 17th century and in American literature 100 years later. 
 
In European lore basil was called “Satan’s herb” because it was thought to be poisonous (wrongly though) because it will not grow in the presence of rue which supposedly was the enemy of poisons. Those Europeans had strange notions. 
The Hindus revered basil and considered it sacred  and felt that it was the favorite herb of their gods and so they planted it around their temples and laid it with their dead. In the Christian tradition it was believed that basil was found to be growing over the original cross when that cross was discovered by Empress Helena of Greece. And today, because of that, basil is revered by the Greek Orthodox church. 
 
Cultivars 
 
Basil grows best in warm sub tropical and tropical climates And since it thrives well in hot and humid weather  it is well suited to the South. Here in Oxford it is an annual but will often reseed if conditions are favorable. 
Depending on the variety, of which there over 160, it can vary in height from a few inches to over 30 inches. As the plant matures a terminal spike of flowers appears which then produce seeds for next year. The buds and flowers are edible and have a more subtle flavor. 
 
Of the many varieties, the Genovese or Mediterranean  basil is the most recognizable and is used in most Italian dishes. This Mediterranean cultivar, which has a licorice or anise flavor is often called sweet basil and has light green leaves as opposed to the Asian basil which has large hairy stems and stalks with pink flowers, purple or red leaves and a stronger clove like flavor. There are also basils with cinnamon and lemon flavors. 
 
Chefs recommend that basil should be used fresh in cooked recipes and added to the dish at the last possible moment because cooking quickly destroys the flavor. And if dried  basil loses some of its distinctive flavor and that which remains tastes very different to fresh and has a sweet licorice hay like flavor. 

It’s good for you 
 
Health benefits are conferred by the essential oils in basil and scientific studies show that compounds in basil have potent anti-oxidants, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. One such compound, zea-xanthin can be absorbed into the retinal macula lutea and helps filter harmful UV rays. Other studies suggest that this zea-xanthin, an anti-oxidant, can help protect eyes from age-related macular disease. It is also thought that basil has a potential use in treating cancer. In India it is used in treating diabetes. Lastly a 2009 study confirmed that extracts from basil are very toxic to mosquitoes. 
 
Cultivation 
 
So you say “How do I get me some of this miracle herb” 
Well it is very easy to grow either in the garden of in a pot on your window sill. For the best results plant in full sun, in well drained but not dry soil. It can grown easily from seed or if you are impatient use transplants. With seed  sow directly in the soil after the danger of frost is past about ¼ inch deep and when the seedlings  are 2-3 inches tall thin to 18” to 24” apart. You can fertilize once or twice during the growing season with an all purpose fertilizer. And because it is  the leaves that you want that liquid blue fertilizer will work just fine. Make sure that the soil is kept moist and pinch back the flowers (use the flowers in salads) until fall when you can let basil run to seed and with luck it will germinate next year. 
 
Culinary Uses 
 
To use basil simply pluck the leaves as you need them, but for drying or using for pesto or basil vinegar harvest before the flower buds open. 
Basil is often used in pizza and in Italian and Greek dishes but the Chinese use basil in soups and deep fry the leaves along with chicken. The Thais steep basil in cream or milk to create an interesting flavor of ice cream or chocolates such truffles. One of the most famous Italian recipes using basil is Pesto, which is a combination of fresh basil, salt and pepper along with garlic and pine nuts blended with olive oil. It is wonderful with French bread!!