Thai basil ( th, โหระพา, , ISO: hōraphā, ; km, ជីរនាងវង, ''chi neang vorng''; vi, húng quế) called ''káu-chàn-thah'' () in Taiwan, is a type of basil native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Widely used throughout Southeast Asia, its flavor, described as

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and t ...

- and

licorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice ( American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The l ...

-like and slightly spicy, is more stable under high or extended cooking temperatures than that of sweet basil. Thai basil has small, narrow leaves, purple stems, and pink-purple flowers.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

Sweet basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') has multiple

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s — Thai basil, ''O. basilicum'' var. ''thyrsiflora'', is one

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. 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. 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", which is appropriate for most members of the plant family

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

, also known as the mint family. With over 40 cultivars of basil, this abundance of flavors, aromas, and colors leads to confusion when identifying specific cultivars. Three types of basil are commonly used in

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

Thai basil, or ''horapha'' ( th, โหระพา), is widely used throughout Southeast Asia and plays a prominent role in
Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes ( vi, ngũ vị, links=no, label=none): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish refle ...
. It is the cultivar most often used for Asian cooking in Western kitchens.
Holy basil (''O. tenuiflorum''), ''mreah-pruv'' ( km, ម្រះព្រៅ), or ''kaphrao'' ( th, กะเพรา), which has a spicy, peppery, clove-like taste, may be the basil Thai people love most. It is also known as ''Thai holy basil'' or by its Indian name, ''tulasi'' or '' tulsi''; it is widely used in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
for culinary, medicinal, and religious purposes.
Lemon basil Lemon basil, hoary basil, Thai lemon basil, or Lao basil,Dorothy Culloty (''Ocimum'' × ''africanum'') is a hybrid between basil ('' Ocimum basilicum'') and American basil ('' Ocimum americanum''). The herb is grown primarily in northeastern ...
(''O. × citriodorum''), or ''maenglak'' ( 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. It is also known as ''Thai lemon basil'', in contradistinction to
Mrs. Burns' Lemon basil Mrs. Burns' Lemon basil (''Ocimum basilicum'' var. ''citriodora'' 'Mrs Burns' Lemon') is an heirloom cultivar of sweet basil (''Ocimum basilicum'') from New Mexico in the United States. Compared to lemon basil, which is a different species of ba ...
, another cultivar.

In Taiwan the Thai basil is called ''káu-chàn-thah'' (), which literally means "nine-storey pagoda".

Description

Thai basil is sturdy and compact, growing up to , and has shiny green, slightly serrated, narrow leaves with a sweet,

-like scent and hints of licorice, along with a slight spiciness lacking in sweet basil. Thai basil has a purple stem, and like other plants in the mint family, the stem is square. Its leaves are opposite and

decussate Decussation is used in biological contexts to describe a crossing (due to the shape of the Roman numeral for ten, an uppercase 'X' (), ). In Latin anatomical terms, the form is used, e.g. . Similarly, the anatomical term chiasma is named af ...

. As implied by its scientific name, Thai basil flowers in the form of a

thyrse A thyrse is a type of inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot o ...

. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

is purple, and the flowers when open are pink.

Cultivation

Thai basil is a tender perennial 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 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

plant

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

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. 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.

Culinary uses

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 Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

and red curries, though in Thailand the basil used in drunken noodles and many chicken, pork, and seafood dishes is holy basil. 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 ''Sanbeiji'' () is a popular chicken dish in Chinese cuisine and one of the most iconic dishes of Jiangxi cuisine. The dish originates from the Jiangxi province of southern China, and is a specialty of Ningdu. The dish has become especially pop ...

(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 Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants ...

(Southern style),

bún bò Huế ''Bún bò Huế'' (pronounced ) or ''bún bò'' () is a popular Vietnamese rice noodle (''bún'') dish with sliced beef (''bò''), chả lụa, and sometimes pork knuckles. The dish originates from Huế, a city in central Vietnam associated w ...

, or

bánh xèo ''Bánh xèo'' (, ) is a crispy, stuffed rice pancake popular in Vietnam. The name refers to the sound (from ''xèo'' – 'sizzling') the rice batter makes when it is poured into the hot skillet. It is a savoury fried pancake made of rice flour, ...

, so that each person can season to taste with the anise-flavored leaves.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thai Basil Ocimum Herbs

Taxonomy and nomenclature

Description

Cultivation

Culinary uses

See also

References