BASIL

Basil is native and grows wild in tropical Asia and India. It spread from the Middle East to Ancient Greece and Italy from the time of Alexander the Great, around 350 BC. The color of the leaves varies from pale green to intense green, or is purple or purple in some varieties. The strongly aromatic plant is used in Italian and Asian cuisines, and is traditionally used in some popular medicines. Together with cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil, it is the basic ingredient of Genoese pesto, the typical sauce of Ligurian cuisine.