African basil
Ocimum kilimandscharicum · Herb
Top 10 pairings
African basil, or camphor basil, is a distinct species of basil — Ocimum kilimandscharicum — native to the highlands of East Africa, a woody, shrubby perennial whose leaves smell powerfully of camphor rather than the sweet anise of culinary basil. Rich in the essential oil camphor, it is used sparingly as a pungent kitchen herb, brewed into medicinal teas, and grown as an insect-repelling plant across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Picking a good onedrag
Just cut, standing upLimp, blackened, slimy
Shop freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: pesto, salads, finishing a sauce.
Leaf colourGreen, a few leaves cupping
The bunchSoft but still upright in the hand
Cut stemCut end drying, stem still stiff
Smell at the leafScent comes when a leaf is rubbed
These cues are Basil's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
Keeping ittap a temperature
Skip the fridge. Below 12 °C the leaves brown, then blacken in a day or two.
95-100%
Humidity
Loose bag, not sealed
Airflow