the.com/basil
the houseplant that thinks it's royalty and the name to prove it
means An aromatic herb with fragrant green leaves used in cooking, especially in Italian and Thai dishes; also a man's given name.
from From Greek 'basilikon,' meaning 'royal' or 'kingly' (from 'basileus,' king) — so the herb was literally the 'royal plant,' perhaps because it was thought worthy of a king's house, or used in royal perfumes and ointments. The same root gives us the male name Basil. The crowning touch came through Latin 'basilicum,' which then spread across Europe into Old French and English.
- royal roots
- name comes from Greek for king
- mint cousin
- belongs to the same family as mint
- pesto core
- the green soul of every pesto
- bee magnet
- flowers draw pollinators by the swarm
- frost coward
- dies the instant cold weather arrives
genovese basil — traditional ingredient in pesto from liguria, italy, protected pdo since 1992
thai basil — key spice in southeast asian cuisine with anise-like flavor, grown across thailand and vietnam
holy basil — sacred herb in hindu tradition used in ayurvedic medicine and grown throughout india