Basil is a wonderfully fragrant herb that is especially popular in Italian cooking. It is added to the majority of tomato-based sauces for pasta, offering a sweet and pungent flavour, and is also one of the main ingredients of the olive oil and herb pasta sauce “pesto”.
What is basil used for in cooking?
This popular herb is used in a variety of Mediterranean and Asian dishes, ranging from creamy sauces to light, herbaceous salads and spicy curries. Ingredients that are complimented by the addition of basil include meats like chicken and beef, olive oil, eggs, tomatoes, and herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
What is the importance of basil?
Having antioxidants and anti-bacterial properties, basil helps maintain skin health, boosts digestion and detoxifies the body. It also helps in the prevention and cure of diseases like cancer, diabetes and other heart conditions. Basil is also a common culinary ingredient used to add flavour to dishes.
What is basil used to flavor?
Sweet and fragrant basil complements tomato-based dishes including pizza, pasta and marinara sauce. It also pairs well with vegetable, chicken, pork or seafood.
What does basil do to meat?
Basil is a bright and powerful flavor that pairs well with the deep flavors of beef dishes. It is delicious when cooked into a recipe, but best if added towards the end of the cooking time to brighten the dish and add a new facet of flavor. Basil does not dry well, it becomes black and tasteless when dried.
Why is basil so tasty?
Basil gets most of its flavour from the essential oils in the basil. Most of us think of oils as being triglycerides, these are three chains of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule. Essential oils though are not triglycerides and are thus very different than let’s say a sunflower or peanut oil.
What is the most common use for basil?
Culinary Uses
Pesto — a creamy, green sauce — is one of basil’s most popular uses. It’s typically made from crushed basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts, though dairy-free options are also available.
What are two interesting facts about basil?
Here are some cool things and facts:
- Basil is native to tropical Asia and belongs to the mint family.
- Sweet basil is also called Genoese Basil, it has a sweet aroma with a warm flavor with notes of clove and anise.
- Store it in a glass of water at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
What does basil do for the brain?
Fenchol, a natural compound abundant in some plants including basil, can help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease pathology, a preclinical study suggests. The team discovered a sensing mechanism associated with the gut microbiome that explains how fenchol reduces neurotoxicity in the Alzheimer’s brain.
Why basil is the best herb?
There’s a reason basil is so popular . . . it’s delicious! There are many known species of basil, but Ocimum basilicum, also known as Sweet Basil or Genovese Basil, is the most commonly grown. Basils are enjoyed for their rich, spicy flavor with a trace of mint, clove, and even licorice depending on the cultivar.
Does basil taste good cooked?
Raw or cooked, fresh basil adds its own distinct, beloved flavor to any number of dishes. It’s one of those herbs that home cooks turn to so often that many have found it more convenient to grow their own so they always have a supply on hand.
What basil is best for cooking?
Sweet Basil
It is the most used and popular basil variety to grow. Sweet basil is used extensively in cooking for its aromatic foliage.
Should you cook basil?
Holy basil is best cooked (it can be bitter when raw), but purple basil is best raw as that pretty purple color turns black when cooked. Thai basil is stronger, with an anise flavor, while lemon and cinnamon basil are aptly named for the flavors they bring to the table.
When should you not use basil?
Some common traits of bad fresh basil are discoloration, a moist texture and a rotten smell. Basil will first become limp and then the green leaves turn black. Dried basil that is going bad will change color from dark green to brown as it looses its natural oils with age.
Who should not take basil?
Holy basil is probably safe for most people; however, Pregnant and breastfeeding women, women who are trying to become pregnant, and people with type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, and those undergoing surgery should avoid holy basil.
Is basil good for your stomach?
Basil is a gas-relieving herb that may be helpful in calming an upset stomach. Carminatives (also called aromatic digestive tonics or aromatic bitters) may be used to relieve symptoms of indigestion, particularly when there is excessive gas.
Why should you not cut basil?
Both destroy the flavor. The wonderful basil scent and flavor comes from the oils. These evaporate quickly — even more so when exposed to heat. And chopping basil tends to expose more of the oils to the air.
Why does basil make my tongue numb?
Sweet basil makes your mouth numb for the same reason cloves (which it smells like), cinnamon, and celery do: it’s the eugenol! Cooking it reduces the effect a lot.
Does basil get bitter when cooked?
Heat, even from food processor blades, affects varieties in different ways and can lend a bitter edge. When cooking, add your basil toward the end so as not to lose delicate flavors.
What countries use basil for in cooking?
Nowadays, basil is grown in most countries with warm weather and is an important ingredient of the culinary tradition of many countries including Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. Some of the current varieties of basil include lemon basil, Italian basil, and lettuce-leaf basil.
Is basil good for high blood pressure?
Sweet basil is high in eugenol. Research has linked this plant-based antioxidant to many health benefits, including lowered blood pressure ( 3 ). Studies suggest that eugenol may help reduce blood pressure by acting as a natural calcium channel blocker.