Thai basil is of Southeast Asian origin, and is a common ingredient among the cuisines of this region. It has a slightly spicy, licorice-like flavor. In terms of appearance, Thai basil has a purple stem and small, sturdy leaves with serrated edges.
Is there a basil that tastes like licorice?
Thai basil is strong and bold, with a spicy, licorice-like flavor. The leaves are smaller and pointier, and the plant produces beautiful purple flowers.
Why does my basil plant taste like licorice?
Why does my basil smell like licorice? The smell of licorice comes from a chemical compound called anethole, which is also present in anise. It is also found in fennel. Anethole is present in some varieties of basil, giving it a distinct smell and flavor.
What flavor does Thai basil have?
A type of basil native to Southeast Asia and its cuisines, Thai basil is savory, spicy, and anise-like, adding a distinct pungency to dishes. It’s a vibrant, irreplaceable addition in many dishes, providing the herbaceous and savory notes that round out a dish.
What basil smells like black licorice?
The same plant goes by many names — Thai basil, sweet basil, Thai sweet basil, anise basil, licorice basil. It’s available at Asian groceries, and you’ll know it by its distinctive scent and taste.
What can I do with licorice basil?
Licorice Basil is used to add a mild licorice flavor to recipes – it is especially good with fish, in salads, or to flavor candy! Purple spikes make this an attractive as well as a tasty addition to your herb garden!
What herbs smell like licorice?
Answer: Anise (Pimpinella anisum), an herb native to the Mediterranean region which has a strong licorice scent and the flowers are like those of the blue hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), a European native with many old world medicinal uses.
Can you eat licorice basil?
Description/Taste
Licorice basil, a Western strain of Thai basil, is also known as anise basil as it has distinctive anise flavored qualities and aromatics. It is a lanky plant with pointed green leaves and signature burgundy tinted spiked flowers. Both the leaves and the flowers are edible.
What can I do with Thai basil?
Thai basil is wonderful eaten raw, slivered, and added to salads, both your plain old cucumber-tomato salad or something meaty like northern Thai larb. But its hardy leaves stand up especially well to cooking—their flavor infuses readily into food and the leaves don’t wilt quite as much as Italian sweet basil’s would.
Does Thai basil taste like mint?
Different kinds of basil will boast slightly varied taste features. For example, Thai flavor will lean more on the anise, spicy, and licorice side, while sweet basil will be fresh, peppery, and a bit minty.
What’s the difference between regular basil and Thai basil?
Appearance: Thai basil has purple stems, while sweet basil has green stems. The leaves of Thai basil are narrower than sweet basil leaves and have a slightly serrated edge. Sweet basil leaves also tend to be more delicate than sturdy Thai basil leaves.
Does Thai basil taste different than regular basil?
But setting looks aside, Thai basil is spicy with an anise, or licorice-like flavor, while sweet basil has a more mild peppery and sweet taste (for reference, sweet basil is commonly used as a main ingredient in Genovese-style pesto).
What does Thai basil pair with?
Legumes and Grains: rice, pasta, lentils. Fruit and Dessert: watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, apple, peach, nectarine, pear, figs, lemon, lime. Herbs and Seasoning: mint, oregano, chili, garlic, chives, ginger, capers, curry, coconut milk.
Why does my basil smell weird?
basil plants can produce different scents akin to cat urine, lemon, licorice, or even cinnamon due to the presence of particular compounds like mercaptan, anethole, citral, cinnamate. Some of these compounds can be externally introduced while others are naturally produced by specific basil varieties.
What does it mean if you like black licorice?
Black licorice fans consider themselves more wild and crazy. They like spontaneity and the thrill of adventure and are more likely to be outspoken, freely share their opinions with others and often fell as though they’re going a million miles an hour.
Can you eat purple basil?
Purple Basil is great for…
Purple Basil leaves have a beautiful, coppery glow and clove-like, slightly spicy flavour. Use them in salads, for pesto or preserved in oils and vinegars.
How do you mask licorice flavor?
For a delicate taste, licorice-lovers turn to the herbs chervil and tarragon.
Can you freeze Thai basil leaves?
It’s possible to freeze Thai basil leaves without freezing them individually; you can simply place them straight into a freezer-safe bag to save yourself time. However, they will freeze together as a clump and are likely to rip when it comes to defrosting, so just bear this in mind if you want to freeze them quickly.
Why does my basil plant taste bitter?
Basil has a tendency to grow very bitter tasting leaves if the flowers are allowed to mature to seed. Overwatering or under watering your basil can also lead to bad tasting leaves.
Which herbs have a licorice flavor?
Licorice-Flavored Foods: How Many Can You Name?
- Anise (of course!)
- Star Anise.
- Fennel – bulb, fronds, and seed.
- Basil.
- Chervil.
- Caraway.
- Tarragon.
What plant has a licorice taste?
Anise hyssop is a feast for the senses: beautiful to look at, and you only need to touch the plant to release the fascinating liquorice fragrance. Anise hyssop (botanical name Agastache foeniculum) is a mint-like herb with leaves that taste of aniseed and smell like liquorice.