The word basil comes from the Greek (basileus), meaning "king",[7] as it has come

to be associated with the Feast of the Cross commemorating the finding of the True Cross by
St. Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine I.[8] The herbalist John Gerard noted that those
stung by scorpions would feel no pain if they ate of basil,[9] and Nicholas Culpeper noted of
basil that it was "an herb of Mars and under the Scorpion, and therefore called Basilicon",[10]
relating it to basilisk. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that basil may have
been used in "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine". Basil is still considered the "king of
herbs" by many cookery authors.[11]
Basil is most commonly used fresh in cooked recipes. In general, it is added at the last
moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavor. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in
plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched
quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavor, and what little flavor
remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavor, like hay.
Basil is one of the main ingredients in pestoa green Italian oil-and-herb sauce.
The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are "Genovese", "Purple Ruffles",
"Mammoth", "Cinnamon", "Lemon", "Globe", and "African Blue". The Chinese also use fresh
or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves to thick
soups (Chinese: ; pinyin: gngtng). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil
leaves. Basil (most commonly Thai basil) is commonly steeped in cream or milk to create an
interesting flavor in ice cream or chocolates (such as truffles). The leaves are not the only part
of basil used in culinary applications, the flower buds have a more subtle flavor and they are
edible.
Thai basil is also a condiment in the Vietnamese noodle soup, ph.