Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Basil along with all the recipes employing Basil presented on this site, with 300 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Basil recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Basil as a major wild food ingredient.

Basil, Ocimum basilicum, also known as Sweet Basil is a tender low-growing perennial herb and a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Originally a native of India it has been introduced throughout the world and is a prominent component in the cuisines of Italy, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Generally it grows between 20–60 cm tall and bears opposite, light green slightly waxy leaves. In tropical clines it grows as a perennial, buy survives as an annual in regions such as Northern Europe where there is a chance of frost.



The leaves can be used both fresh or dried (though fresh leaves provide by far the best flavour). It should be added at the very last moment to any dish in which it is used to preserve its colour and flavour. Basil is often mixed with tomatoes in Mediterranean cuisine and along with parmesan is one of the main ingredients of pesto. As well as meat dishes and sauces Basil can also be used with strong-tasting fruit such as raspberries and dark plums to make preserves and fruit stews.



If you are growing your own flowers then prevent the plant from flowering by pinching-put the flower stems as when basil has flowered the stem becomes woody and essential oil production stops.