Basil

Basil is often treated as quintessentially Mediterranean, but sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, belongs to an Old World group with roots in tropical Africa and Asia. Because people have cultivated and transported it since antiquity—and because basil varieties readily cross—a single wild birthplace for the modern culinary herb cannot be stated with certainty.

South Asia was an important early center of basil cultivation and diversity. Over generations, growers selected plants for leaf size, color, sweetness, spice, and aromatic oils. This history produced many familiar forms, including broad-leaved sweet basil, compact bush types, purple basils, and Southeast Asian culinary varieties. Holy basil, or tulsi, is culturally important in India but is generally classified as a different species, Ocimum tenuiflorum.

Trade carried basil westward through the Middle East and into the Mediterranean world. It became established in European gardens and cuisines, eventually gaining particular prominence in Italy. The large-leaved Genovese types used for pesto are therefore products of Mediterranean cultivation and selection, not evidence that basil originated in Italy.

Today basil is grown throughout warm regions and as a seasonal crop in cooler climates. India and Egypt are important producers, Mediterranean countries cultivate it for fresh use and processing, and Mexico and the United States supply major fresh markets. California is a significant American growing region, while greenhouses now make basil available year-round far beyond its tropical ancestral range.