name: Sweet Basil

flavor_db_name_variants: sweet basil

source: foodb

status: draft

food_db_id: Sweet basil

id: 119

name_scientific: Ocimum basilicum

description: Basil, Thai basil, or sweet basil, is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum of the family Lamiaceae (mints), sometimes known as Saint John's Wort in some English-speaking countries. Basil is originally native to India, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years, but was thoroughly familiar to Theophrastus and Dioscorides. It is a half-hardy annual 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, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and the cuisine of Taiwan. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell. There are many varieties of Ocimum basilicum, as well as several related species or species hybrids also called basil. The type used in Italian food is typically called sweet basil, as opposed to Thai basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora), lemon basil (O. X citriodorum) and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), which are used in Asia. 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'.

itis_id: 32627

wikipedia_id: Sweet_basil

picture_file_name: 119.jpg

picture_content_type: image/jpeg

picture_file_size: 147279

picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:39:30.000Z

legacy_id: 126

food_group: Herbs and Spices

food_subgroup: Herbs

food_type: Type 1

created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:21.000Z

updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:04:16.000Z

creator_id: null

updater_id: null

export_to_afcdb: false

category: specific

ncbi_taxonomy_id: 39350

export_to_foodb: true

public_id: FOOD00119