Pots of basil for sale at the weekly Organic Market in Perugia, Italy

Often there was a pasta dish and always a plate of ripe sliced tomatoes, dressed with excellent olive oil and fresh sweet basil leaves from the garden.
The pungency of that herb lived in me so strongly that to this day I can’t go through a summer without at least two basil bushes somewhere in my garden.  Fresh basil continues to evoke summer days, fragrant red tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, clear blue skies, terracotta pots and geraniums.
Despite my associations, the many different varieties of basil (’Ocimum’ species) are native to India.  This surprised me at first, because basil is not used much in Indian cooking.  Apparently it was sacred to Vishnu and Shiva and a pot grew in every courtyard. As it spread to the Mediterranean, the legends grew and changed.  In Italy, it was customary for a pot of basil to be placed in the window by a lady as a signal to her lover that she was expecting him.  In the famous poem “Isabella” by Keats, Isabella kept the head of her lover in a pot of basil.  In Greek the work “basileus” means “king” and some call it the king of herbs, a claim I wouldn’ dispute.
The most common basil is the sweet basil with its large dark green leaves and strong sweetish aroma. This is one used in the fabulously pungent Genovese pesto and in Italian cookery. There, they claim to have the best tasting basil in the world, something to do with the soil or water.  Originally made in a mortar and pestle where the ingredients are pounded together, pesto is easily made these days in a food processor, though some purists claim the blades bruise the leaves, thereby altering the flavour.
Other varieties include purple basil, the leaves of which are so striking that they are often grown solely for their ornamental qualities. There are two varieties of this – opal and purple ruffles.  Their leaves add colour contrast to a salad and make an unusual pesto.
Then there’s the fabulous lettuce-leaf basil with its large wide leaves, which are good for wrapping up fish or chicken or stuffing with other vegetables.  Its flavour is less pronounced than the more common sweet or bush basils.
Scented basils, with flavours reminiscent of other plants, are another group.  These include the cinnamon basil, lemon basil and licorice or anise basil (very similar to Thai basil).  The latter is often used in Asian cooking, lending a sweet fennel-like flavour.
Lemon basil makes an interesting addition to stir-fry vegetables and cinnamon basil lends fragrance to custards, jellies, marinades and fruit salads. There’s also a lime basil which grows more vigorously than the lemon and has a stronger flavour and darker leaf.
There are also basils not suited for culinary pruproses but used as insect repellents; and there is the holy basil, used for religious ceremonies in India, its deep pungent fragrance creating an atmosphere of reverence.  Greek basil (which is a round ball of tiny leaves) is ornamental but some chefs do use it.
Basil grows best in hot weather, requires a moderately fertile soil.  If the soil is too rich, however, you will have lush growth at the expense of the aromatic oils. Good drainage is important and basil likes to dry out between waterings.  It doesn’t mind being potted, though the small bush basils are the most suitable for potting.

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