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Organic Spices
Turmeric,
Ginger,
Garlic,
Pepper,
Fenugreek, Cardamom, Cinnamon,
Cumin,
Chili, Nutmeg,
Coriander, Mustard, Tamarind, Vanilla, Sesame
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Organic Foods
Banana, Coconut, Guava, Mango, Papaya, Tomato, Onion, Honey, Arrowroot, Niger, Maize, Peanut, Rice, Castor, Red gram, Black gram, Sorghum, Cashew
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Organic Herbs
Aloe Vera, Amla, Neem, Basil, Bacopa, Licorice, Chebula, Asparagus, Ashwagandha, Stevia, Coleus, Senna
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Basil(Ocimum basilicum) French Basil or Sweet Basil Certified Organic
Basil Spice: The dried leaves and tender four sided stems are used as spice, in spice blends, in spice and herb mix, for flavouring and for extraction of essential oil. Apart from flavouring numerous foods, it is used for seasoning in tomato paste products. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce. Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves. The rich aroma and excellent blending properties of basil has made it highly popular worldwide. Some of the major applications of basil lay in French liquors, sophisticated perfumes and gourmet class culinary seasonings. French, Italian and Greek cuisine make good use of basil. With tomato, fish, poultry dishes, stews, sauces, sausages.
Basil Health: Basil has potent antioxidant, anti-cancer, antiviral, and anti-microbial properties. It is traditionally used for supplementary treatment of stress, asthma and diabetes in India, as Ayurvedic Remedies. It is also used for treating pimples on the face. Research studies on basil have shown unique health-protecting effects for Cardiovascular Health. Basil contains flavonoids, which in turn create antioxidants. These are essential in reducing and combating free radicals that cause cancer. Basil is also full of vitamin A and Magnesium. Magnesium is important for protecting the heart.Additionally, it can help to essentially kill off any existing bacteria that are present on the food before you consume it.
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Basil also known as French Basil or Sweet Basil or Tulsi is an erect glabrous herb, 30-90 cm high is indigenous to India. The leaves of basil have numerous oil glands with aromatic volatile oil. The herb bears cluster of small white lipped flowers in racemes. The freshly picked bright green leaves turns brownish green when dried and become brittle and curled. The major types are American Basil, French Basil, Egyptian Basil and Indian Basil.
Origin and Distribution
It is indigenous to the lower hills of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and is cultivated throughout India. It is also cultivated in Southern France, Egypt, Belgium, Hungary, and other Mediterranean countries and also in USA.
USES
The dried leaves and tender four sided stems are used as spice for flavouring and for extraction of essential oil. Apart from flavouring numerous foods, it is used for seasoning in tomato paste products. The sweet basil oil is widely used in perfumery compounds. It has application in areas of medicine and also used as an insecticide and bactericide.
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| Indian Names |
| Hindi |
: Ban tulsi, Jangli tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Tulsi |
Name
in international languages
| Spanish |
:
Alba Laca |
| French |
: Basilic |
| German |
: Basilienkrant |
| Swedish |
: Basilkort |
| Arabic |
: Raihan |
| Dutch |
: Basilicum |
| Italian |
: Basilico |
| Portuguese |
: Manjericao |
| Russian |
: Basilik |
| Japanese |
: Meboki |
| Chinese |
: Lo-le |
Further Reading:
Sensory quality: Fresh basil leaves have a strong and characteristic aroma, not comparable to any other spice, although there is a hint of cloves traceable.
All basil varieties have in common that their dried leaves are much less aromatic than fresh ones; deep-freezing the herb is the best method of preservation.
In English language, the common basil grown in Italy and other Mediterranean countries is often termed “sweet basil”; this is, though, misleading, because Thai basil has much more of a sweet quality. Thus, I will avoid this term and speak of “Mediterranean type” and “Thai type” instead.
Main constituents: The essential oil (less than 1%) is of complex and variable composition. Within the species, several different chemical races exist, and furthermore climate, soil and time of harvest influence not only the amount but also the composition of the essential oil. The most important aroma components are 1,8 cineol, linalool, citral, methyl chavicol (estragole), eugenol and methyl cinnamate, although not necessarily in this order; in fact, hardly any basil contains all of these compounds in significant amounts. African species often contain camphor.
Basil is one of the most pleasant spices, and indispensable for several Mediterranean cuisines. The sweet and aromatic fragrance is especially popular in Italy. Since the delicate aroma of basil is quickly destroyed by cooking, chopped basil leaves are frequently sprinkled over cold or warm dishes before serving. A typical and quite famous recipe is insalata caprese (Capri salad): Tomato slices topped with creamy mozzarella cheese and basil leaves and seasoned with highest quality olive oil. Further north, where tomatoes are less flavourful, the salad is often additionally flavoured with the famed aceto balsamico (balsam vinegar). Insalata caprese is becoming more and more popular, even outside of Italy; indeed, together with some fresh white bread, it makes a perfect, light summer meal.
Similar use is made of basil in the Far East; it is especially popular in Vietnam and Thailand. Every visitor to Bangkok who dared to try local cuisine will probably never forget the phantastic basil aroma that emanates from nearly every pot at the numerous foodstalls.
When using basil in South East Asian recipes, one should consider that Thai basil tastes rather different from the Mediterranean herb predominantly available in the West. Also, care must be taken to choose the right basil; Thai cuisine is probably the only cuisine that uses three different basil varieties, each for its own purpose. All three basil varieties should be available in Thai food stores.
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