Posted on 07/08/2023 6:03:06 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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The Rich History of Basil: Travel Through Time with Basil!
Beloved in pesto and Caprese salads, basil is a king of culinary herbs and widely cultivated around the world.
It is used in countless kitchens worldwide in both fresh and dried forms. And while many in the US associate basil mostly with Italian cuisine, you’ll also find it in plenty of other cultures, including Asian cuisine and many African dishes.
While you’re probably familiar with sweet basil and some of the more common varietals within the basil kingdom, you may not know that your favorite herb has a rich history, filled with adventure, legends, and lore.
Basil Basics
Before diving into the amazing historical background of basil, let’s set the stage. What exactly is basil?
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a beautifully aromatic herb and member of the mint family (Lamiaceae).
Some varieties that may be most familiar include Genovese basil, sweet basil, Thai basil, purple ruffles, and lemon basil.
Most commonly known these days for its culinary prowess, basil also plays a critical role in traditional herbal medicine. So you will find it in whole, powdered, and oil form for medicinal purposes.
The word basil most likely derives from the ancient Greek word basileus, which means king.
A royal herb? Seems fitting for this all-star herb!
The History of Basil Goes Way Back
While the history of basil is filled with interesting facts, it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact origin of basil.
Some accounts point to Asia, while others say the basil plant made its way out of India.
We do know that its history traces back over 5,000 years and that, over time, basil started making its way around the world.
Legend has it, basil arrived in the Mediterranean via Alexander the Great after he discovered it during a conquest. While this is possible, it more likely moved through the active and lucrative spice trade.
Basil held a revered standing with both the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
The Greek botanist Theophrastus even mentioned basil in his writings during the 3rd century BC.
Basil also shows up in Roman writings. Pliny touted it as an aphrodisiac, and Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella provided sowing directions.
*SNIP*
Basil Had a Sacred Standing Around the World
As basil made its way around, it retained one specific feature in each culture: Its sacred standing.
The belief that basil is sacred, and has almost magical properties, was so strong that nearly every culture had specific guidelines around harvesting basil.
Extensive rituals, rules governing hand washing, and specific clothing expectations reigned.
The Greeks, Romans, Gauls, Egyptians, and Indians believed strongly in protecting their basil plants.
Basil Lore
What is a perusal of history without a dash of lore added?
Historical accounts and ancient records are replete not just with facts, but also with legends and superstitions. Basil is not immune to this and is the subject of countless stories.
While we can’t cover all of them here, we wanted to look at a few of the common mythologies around our beloved basil.
Continues at link:
https://kitchenherbography.com/history-of-basil/
I grew the purple Basil...much stronger taste...awesome.
Good morning Diane.
Bambi ate my zinnias, my beet tops, and even tried several radishes, yet has left the nasturtiums, phlox, lobelia and geraniums alone. So far, anyways. I am now going to spray everything I grow with a *Sunlight* dish soap/hot peppers mix to discourage this behaviour.
This is after he ate some tomato plants, some potato plants, and the vast majority of my sunflowers. I am growing impatient with the miserable so-and-so.
Some of the pennyroyal *MAY* finally be showing, but the germination rate is disappointing.
As to the radishes, I have already picked through two batches, and the third just provided me with several larger bulbs over 2” diameter. Unfortunately, a couple of them had internal visitors, even though the soil has not grown anything but a juniper and a pine tree for the last 20+ years. Oh well.
Off to the garden centre that’s an hour away, I forgot a flat of annuals there yesterday afternoon. Then I get to put all the replacement plants in the ground upon my return.
Have a great weekend.
Had my first cabbage (OS Cross) from the garden with corned beef. Good stuff.
The sun is out now – hope it dries the grass soon. Everything is sopping wet this morning from the thunderstorm/downpour yesterday afternoon. All the plants are very green and happy at the present time.
What I did not need was another “project”. Mom pulled her golf cart out of the pole barn last night, made it about 10 yards and it quit on her. Upon inspection, it appears the battery terminals are corroding and one of the wires attached to a terminal actually broke and it looks like a couple more are close to breaking. My brother just happened to be on the way to the hardware store & picked up some connections & a crimper. We had to work in the dark with a flashlight and got the cart running again, but I need to clean all the terminals, put on something to protect from corrosion, and replace a couple more connectors. The golf cart has a bunch of batteries (6, I think), so it's going to be a job.
I will quit whining & post some cheerful pics ….. the Canary Bird Zinnias are blooming – so pretty! Like small 'suns' in the garden. I took a picture of one and it just happens to have a bee on it, too.
Some of my other dahlias are blooming …. the white one is called “Crazy Love” and the yellow one is “Kelvin Floodlight “. The yellow one is the largest of all the dahlias I have this year.
The crows are visiting every morning now, sitting on the pasture fence and checking out the garden – I have to chase them off. The doe deer visited twice yesterday – once in broad daylight, headed for the apple tree in the yard and then again around 11 pm, checking to see if any of the hostas are uncovered - mom puts row cover over them every night, but if it's breezy, it will blow off. I went out to chase her away and whew ….. a skunk had evidently done some spraying nearby – the smell was pretty heavy in the humid air. The skunks dig little holes everywhere ….. I actually caught one in a live trap at the garden some years ago, which was an interesting situation – trying to let it out without getting sprayed. Adventures with wildlife … almost every day. Have a great weekend, everyone :-)
I like the purple for adding to flower bouquets and it smells so good!
This season I am growing regular sweet Basil and a new cultivar called ‘Limoncello’ which is a very pungent lemon basil.
From Burpee:
https://www.burpee.com/basil-lemon-scented-limonchello-prod600069.html
A few years ago I started making my Pesto with Kale instead of Basil. I like both, but the Kale Pesto is so awesome tasting! I’ll experiment with blending Kale and the Limoncello Basil together this season. Pesto freezes well, so having that fresh Summer taste in the middle of Winter is wonderful. :)
I have the ‘Love and Lemons’ cookbook and that’s where I found the Kale Pesto idea. Lots of variations to make:
https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto/
thanks for the links
Basil is very easy to grow from seed.
The basil plants I have grown don’t seem to last, but my former neighbor had a basil plant for a long time.
Sounds like a busy and productive day! Sorry about the deer damage; many here can commiserate with you on that!
When I put the two Beagles out for their last ‘potty break’ of the evening, they found an Opossum to harass for 30 minutes or so. Then Mr. O got sick of them and went up a tree and that was the end of that.
Never a dull moment around here!
My beets and radishes in pots are surrounded by my cannabis plants and the deer stay away. They can’t abide the stench of the Cannabis plants. I’m starting another pot of radishes today. I planted beets and basil in another pot that is hidden behind the irises next to the front porch. Deer ignore the irises after spring ends.
Good Morning! :-)
You did grow some really nice cabbages this season!
Good morning!
We took the red eye back on Thursday so our trip to Oregon was a smashing success. What stunning views we saw in the Cascades!
Fortunately, it rained some while we were gone, so our plant and shrub sitters only had to water a time or two for us. Everything looked pretty good when I went to inspect. Our magnolia tree started blooming just before we left, and I was so excited to see that there are still a few blossoms left for me to enjoy for another couple of days. Those blossoms smell heavenly.
Today I will be doing some watering, weeding, and general cleanup around the beds. Have a great day, everyone!
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Thanks for all the posts. I have just been too busy with garden stuff to post. Pulled all te garlic this morning, pretty wet so I’ll get a nice picture in a few days. Diana that borage is huge, some chest high. All from a tiny seed. We ate some of the leaves in salads early on and I just tasted a flower, not bad but I don’t taste the lemon. A huge stalk fell over onto the grass, more like a tree. Cut up for compost and I put a bunch of the flower ends in a vase. Guided the butterkin squash vines over onto the empty garlic bed. Asparagus is all done except for a few here and there. Picked out first better buy tomato for a salad last night, with marinated chicken thigh meat on shishkabobs with onion and shishito. Our shishito plants are all heavily laden, we have never had so many. Also ate the last asparagus bunch and some brocoli. Lovely meal. It’s early on the rest, we did have a few pea pods in with out salad and some sliced radish, romaine lettuce and pak choi. All in all heavy production and we are very grateful.
Oy too busy to fix typos!
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