03-25-2015, 07:52 AM
The Thai lady that owns the local (to me) Thai restaurant gave me some cuttings she identified as Thai basil. It grew well in my garden and develops almost into a ground cover but not quite.
My brother, 100 miles or so away, wanted some cuttings so I was taking him some but decided to lunch at a Viet/Thai restaurant in his community before going to his house.
I had a Viet pork noodle soup of some sort that had the veggies served on the side. I didn't recognize the veggies and asked what they were. One was identified as Thai basil but didn't look, smell or taste like what my restaurant lady had given me.
The cuttings my Thai lady gave me look much like Italian basil but the leaves are much thicker and are fuzzy. They taste like basil and are extremely aromatic, smelling strongly of basil.
The plant this other restaurant identified as Thai basil has leaves that are thinner, narrower, more pointy, darker green, less scalloped along the edges and are not fuzzy. More importantly they neither smell or taste like basil. They both smell and taste moderately of liquorice and tasted good in the soup.
Anyone have any idea what this plant is? Could it also be a Thai basil? They gave me some to take but I don't think they were big enough to root, but I'm trying.
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Answering my own question it seems my Thai lady gave me Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as Ocimum sanctum, holy basil, or tulas#299; (credit Wikipedia). It appears to come in green and purple. Mine is green. I think this is it: http://cdn.krishna.org/wp-content/upload.../tulsi.jpg It grows like crazy.
According to Wikipedia the more common Thai basil, also know as anise basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) does in fact smell and taste like liquorice. I thought basil tasted like basil. Oh well, I hope it grows. Pic: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8vPvU7Ag6g/Tm...Bmagic.jpg
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
My brother, 100 miles or so away, wanted some cuttings so I was taking him some but decided to lunch at a Viet/Thai restaurant in his community before going to his house.
I had a Viet pork noodle soup of some sort that had the veggies served on the side. I didn't recognize the veggies and asked what they were. One was identified as Thai basil but didn't look, smell or taste like what my restaurant lady had given me.
The cuttings my Thai lady gave me look much like Italian basil but the leaves are much thicker and are fuzzy. They taste like basil and are extremely aromatic, smelling strongly of basil.
The plant this other restaurant identified as Thai basil has leaves that are thinner, narrower, more pointy, darker green, less scalloped along the edges and are not fuzzy. More importantly they neither smell or taste like basil. They both smell and taste moderately of liquorice and tasted good in the soup.
Anyone have any idea what this plant is? Could it also be a Thai basil? They gave me some to take but I don't think they were big enough to root, but I'm trying.
--------------------
Edit
--------------------
Answering my own question it seems my Thai lady gave me Ocimum tenuiflorum, also known as Ocimum sanctum, holy basil, or tulas#299; (credit Wikipedia). It appears to come in green and purple. Mine is green. I think this is it: http://cdn.krishna.org/wp-content/upload.../tulsi.jpg It grows like crazy.
According to Wikipedia the more common Thai basil, also know as anise basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) does in fact smell and taste like liquorice. I thought basil tasted like basil. Oh well, I hope it grows. Pic: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8vPvU7Ag6g/Tm...Bmagic.jpg
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
S. FL
Big Islander to be.