Thai basil

Thai basil is sturdy and compact,{{cite book|last1=Cox|first1=Jeff|last2=Moine|first2=Marie-Pierre|title=The Cook's Herb Garden|url=https://archive.org/details/cooksherbgarden00publ|url-access=limited|date=2010|publisher=DK Publishing|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/cooksherbgarden00publ/page/n53 53]|isbn=9780756658694}} growing up to {{convert|45|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}},{{cite book|last1=Hutchinson|first1=Frances|title=The Gardener's Handbook|date=2003|publisher=Fog City Press|page=237|chapter=Garden Herbs}} and has shiny green, slightly serrated, narrow leaves with a sweet, anise-like scent and hints of licorice, along with a slight spiciness lacking in sweet basil.{{cite book|last1=Raghavan|first1=Susheela|title=Handbook of Spices, Seasonings, and Flavorings|date=2007|publisher=CRC Press|location=Boca Raton, Florida|isbn=9780849328428|page=72|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m4vvs87XiucC&q=%22thai%20basil%22&pg=PA72|access-date=8 December 2014}} Thai basil has a purple stem, and like other plants in the mint family, the stem is square. Its leaves are opposite and decussate.{{cite web|title=LAMIACEAE (formerly LABIATAE) - The Mint Family|url=http://theseedsite.co.uk/lamiaceae.html|website=The Seed Site|access-date=11 April 2011}} As implied by its scientific name, Thai basil flowers in the form of a thyrse.{{cite book|last1=Meyers|first1=Michele|title=Basil: An Herb Society of America Guide|date=2003|publisher=The Herb Society of America|page=32|url=http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Basil%20Guide.pdf|access-date=8 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319013711/http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Basil%20Guide.pdf|archive-date=19 March 2015|df=dmy-all}} The inflorescence is purple, and the flowers when open are pink.{{cite book|last1=Brissenden|first1=Rosemary|title=Southeast Asian Food: Classic and Modern Dishes from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam|date=2003|publisher=Periplus Editions|location=Singapore|isbn=9780794604882|page=34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzIfdz0M0JEC&q=%22thai%20basil%22&pg=PA34|access-date=8 December 2014}}

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) has multiple cultivars — Thai basil, O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora, is one variety. Thai basil may sometimes be called chi neang vorng, anise basil or licorice basil, in reference to its anise- and licorice-like scent and taste, but it is different from the Western strains bearing these same names.{{cite book|last1=Loha-Unchit|first1=Kasma|title=It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking|date=1995|publisher=Pomegranate Artbooks|isbn=0876543565|oclc=31865230|chapter=Garden Herbs|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/itrainsfishesleg00loha}}{{rp|92}}

Occasionally, Thai basil may be called cinnamon basil, which is its literal name in Vietnamese, but cinnamon basil typically refers to a separate cultivar.

The genus name Ocimum is derived from the Greek word meaning "to smell",{{cite book|last1=Hill|first1=Madalene|last2=Barclay|first2=Gwen|last3=Hardy|first3=Jean|title=Southern Herb Growing|date=1987|publisher=Shearer Publishing|page=68}} which is appropriate for most members of family Lamiaceae.{{cite web|title=Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Species Ocimum basilicum L.|url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=OCBA&display=31|website=Natural Resources Conservation Service|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=11 April 2011}} With over 40 cultivars of basil, this abundance of flavors, aromas, and colors leads to confusion when identifying specific cultivars.{{cite journal|last1=Simon|first1=James E.|last2=Morales|first2=Mario R.|last3=Phippen|first3=Winthrop B.|last4=Vieira|first4=Roberto Fontes|last5=Hao|first5=Zhigang|editor1-last=Janick|editor1-first=Jules|title=Basil: A Source of Aroma Compounds and a Popular Culinary and Ornamental Herb|journal=Perspectives on New Crops and New Uses|date=1999|pages=499–505|publisher=ASHS Press|location=Alexandria, VA|url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-499.html}}

Three types of basil are commonly used in Thai cuisine.

• Thai basil, or horapha ({{langx|th|โหระพา}}), is widely used throughout Southeast Asia and plays a prominent role in Vietnamese cuisine. It is the cultivar most often used for Asian cooking in Western kitchens.
• Holy basil (O. tenuiflorum), mreah-pruv ({{langx|km|ម្រះព្រៅ}}), or kaphrao ({{langx|th|กะเพรา}}), which has a spicy, peppery, clove-like taste, may be the basil Thai people love most.{{rp|93}}{{cite web|last1=Loha-unchit|first1=Kasma|title=Holy Basil – Bai Gkaprow|url=http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/ingredients/basilh.html|website=Thai Food & Travel|access-date=11 April 2011|date=1995}} It is also known as Thai holy basil or by its Indian name, tulasi or tulsi; it is widely used in India for culinary, medicinal, and religious purposes.

• Lemon basil (O. × citriodorum), or maenglak ({{langx|th|แมงลัก}}), as its name implies, has undertones of lemon in scent and taste. Lemon basil is the least commonly used type of basil in Thailand.{{rp|94}} It is also known as Thai lemon basil, in contradistinction to Mrs. Burns' Lemon basil, another cultivar.

In Taiwan the Thai basil is called káu-chàn-thah ({{zh|t={{linktext|九層塔}}|p=jiǔcéngtǎ|w=chiu ts'eng t'a|poj=káu-chàn-thah}}), which literally means "nine-storey pagoda".

Thai basil is widely used in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, including Thai, Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian cuisines. Thai basil leaves are a frequent ingredient in Thai green and red curries, though in Thailand the basil used in drunken noodles and many chicken, pork, and seafood dishes is holy basil.{{rp|178}} In the West, however, such dishes typically contain Thai basil instead, which is much more readily available than holy basil. Thai basil is also an important ingredient in the very popular Taiwanese dish sanbeiji (three-cup chicken). Used as a condiment, a plate of raw Thai basil leaves is often served as an accompaniment to many Vietnamese dishes, such as phở (Southern style), bún bò Huế, or bánh xèo, so that each person can season to taste with the anise-flavored leaves.

Thai basil is a tender perennial{{cite web|title=Basil, Thai Basil, Organic|url=http://www.seedaholic.com/basil-thai-basil-organic.html|website=Seedaholic.com|access-date=8 December 2014}} but is typically grown as an annual. As a tropical plant, Thai basil is hardy only in very warm climates where there is no chance of frost. It is generally hardy to USDA plant hardiness zone 10. Thai basil, which can be grown from seed or cuttings, requires fertile, well-draining soil with a pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 and 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight per day.{{cite web|last1=Andrews|first1=A.J.|title=How to Plant Thai Basil|url=http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-thai-basil-63256.html|website=SFGate Home Guides|access-date=8 December 2014}} The flowers should be pinched to prevent the leaves from becoming bitter. Thai basil can be repeatedly harvested by taking a few leaves at a time and should be harvested periodically to encourage regrowth.

{{commons category|Ocimum basilicum thyrsiflorum}}

• Basil
• List of basil cultivars
• List of Thai ingredients

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{Cite book|last=Erway |first=Cathy |author-link= |chapter=Braised Eggplant with Garlic and Basil (Jiu Ceng Ta Qie Zi) |script-chapter=zh:九層塔茄子 |title=The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2015 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6_qDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT145 |page= |isbn=9780544303300 }}

{{Cite book|last=Murakami |first=Yoshihide |author-link= |title=Tōhō Taiwan-go jiten |script-title=ja:東方台湾語辞典 |trans-title=Eastern Taiwanese dictionary |publisher=Tōhō shoten |year=2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NC0QAQAAMAAJ&q=九層塔 |page=153 |isbn=9784497207043|quote= |language=ja}}

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{{Herbs & spices}}

{{Cuisine of Thailand}}

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Category:Ocimum

Category:Herbs