Table of Contents
What is Basil?
Basil is the vibrant, aromatic soul of many summer dishes. Its sweet, slightly peppery flavor with hints of mint and anise is most potent when fresh, making it a perfect finishing herb. It is famously the heart of Italian pesto and essential for topping a caprese salad or a margherita pizza. To preserve its delicate essence, it’s best added at the end of the cooking process; a quick chiffonade of leaves stirred into a pasta sauce or sprinkled over a soup just before serving releases its incredible fragrance and bright flavor.
As a general rule, I do not recommend adding fresh basil to a dish while cooking, because the heat often negates the freshness and vibrancy it can add to a dish. There are some varieties that develop delicious earthy notes when cooked. However, you can almost always add any variety of fresh basil to salads or finished dishes for a pop of flavor!
What dishes is it Best in?
Basil is incredibly versatile, but it truly shines in a few classic categories:
- Italian Cuisine: This is basil’s most famous domain. It is the key ingredient in pesto Genovese (the classic basil, pine nut, garlic, and Parmesan sauce). It is essential on caprese salad (with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella), Margherita pizza, and countless pasta sauces (like a simple tomato-basil sauce).
- Southeast Asian Cuisine: Specifically, Thai basil (which has a more anise-like, spicy flavor) is a staple. It is used in stir-fries like Pad Krapow (a spicy basil chicken or pork dish) and curries, but my favorite use is to add it as a fresh garnish to a bowl of Vietnamese pho.
- Salads and Dressings: Its fresh, sweet flavor brightens up green salads, grain salads (like quinoa or farro), and is muddled into vinaigrettes.
- Summer Beverages: It pairs wonderfully with fruits like lemon, strawberry, and watermelon. It’s muddled in cocktails (like a gin basil smash), infused in lemonade, or simply added to water for a refreshing twist.
- Soups and Stews: A handful of torn basil leaves stirred into tomato soup, minestrone, or a vegetable stew right before serving elevates the entire dish with freshness.
Pro Tip: To get the most flavor out of basil, tear it with your hands rather than chopping it with a knife. The metal of the blade can bruise and blacken the delicate leaves more quickly. Always add it at the end of the cooking process to preserve its bright color and complex aroma.
Flavor Profiles
- Sweet and Peppery: The most immediate taste is a gentle sweetness followed by a subtle, warm peppery kick, similar to a mild arugula.
- Herbaceous and Anise-like: It has a strong, green, “herbaceous” quality with a distinct undertone of anise or licorice, which is more pronounced in some varieties than others.
- Minty: This is a key characteristic, as basil is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). You can detect a cool, fresh mintiness, especially in the aroma.
- Earthy and Clove-like: Some varieties, particularly when cooked, can develop warm, earthy notes with a hint of clove.
How Preparation Changes Its Flavor
- Fresh: When fresh, basil is at its brightest and most complex. All the notes—sweet, peppery, minty, and anise—are present and vibrant. It is highly aromatic.
- Cooked: When heated, basil loses its top notes very quickly. The bright, minty-anise flavors fade, and it develops a deeper, more savory, and slightly earthy flavor. This is why it’s often used as a garnish after cooking to preserve its fresh character.
- Dried: Dried basil has a much more subdued and different flavor. It loses almost all its sweetness and complexity, leaving behind a primarily earthy, hay-like, and slightly minty taste. It is a poor substitute for fresh basil but can be used in long-simmered sauces where its subtle earthiness can blend in.
A Note on Varieties
The flavor can also change dramatically between types of basil:
- Sweet Genovese Basil (most common): This one follows the first flavor profile above and is usually the one you will find in the ‘living herbs’ or produce sections of grocery stores in the U.S. Because it is easily available, it tends to be my go-to.
- Thai Basil: I love the stronger anise/licorice flavor and spicier kick that this variety claims. I usually do not care for anise or licorice, but there is something about this kind of basil that works perfectly in certain dishes. It holds up much better to heat and when added to a steaming bowl of pho, it is absolutely divine. I had no idea that fresh basil could be so delicious in a hot broth until I was served my first bowl. My life has never been the same.
- Lemon Basil: Has a pronounced citrusy, lemony aroma and flavor. At some point, you will stumble upon my ravings over all things lemon, so suffice it to say that I am just as fond of this type of basil as I am of lemon-grass and other ‘lemony’ flavors.
- Holy Basil (Tulsi): Has a spicy, clove-like flavor with a peppery heat. What more need we say? The gods themselves have deemed this basil worthy.
In summary, think of fresh basil as a sweet, aromatic, and peppery herb with layers of mint and anise that brightens and defines a dish. Its flavor is delicate and best enjoyed fresh!
Simple Growing Tips
If you haven’t noticed that the summers are hotter lately, you might be in denial or just indoors all the time. I say that because in prior years, I was able to successfully keep a basil plant alive on my back patio, despite the insane amount of direct sunlight it receives. This is probably due to the fact that basil plants thrive on at least 6 hours of full sun per day. However, I don’t think our current blistering heat from the giant magma ball is the same thing as ‘full sunlight’ anymore. This year, it even baked my rosemary plant to death by mid-summer. Believe me, it is almost impossible to kill rosemary, in my experience.
All that said, generally, basil is a pretty forgiving plant as long as you:
- Don’t water the leaves in direct sunlight. This can basically cause the water to ‘boil’ on the surface of the leaf, and growing basil leaves do not appreciate it.
- Allow the plant plenty of sunlight (or direct light from an indoor growing lamp or equivalent) but keep an eye on it if its outside in the blazing sun these days. Try to make sure you have a brightly lit area that is also not a potential inferno.
- Make sure you keep that soil nutrient dense (use plant food or some amazing compost regularly).
- Keep the plant well hydrated but don’t drown it. When the soil stops absorbing the moisture completely, you should give it a break.
