Holy basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum · Herb
Top 10 pairings
Holy basil, or tulsi, is a different species from sweet basil — Ocimum tenuiflorum — revered across India as a sacred plant and brewed as a herbal tea, with slightly hairy, often purple-tinged green leaves and a hot, peppery, clove-like flavour from eugenol that is sharper and more medicinal than the sweet anise note of culinary basil.
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