Basil In Garden Stock Photo

Basil, also called great basil or Saint-Joseph`s-wort, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae mints. It is also called the `king of herbs` and the `royal herb`. The name `basil` comes from Greek. It is a tender plant, best known as a culinary herb prominently featured in Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in Southeast Asian cuisines of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Taiwan. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell. The type used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil or Genovese basil, as opposed to Thai basil. While most common varieties of basil are treated as annuals, some are perennial in warm, tropical climates, including holy basil and a cultivar known as `African blue basil`.