Herbs

Basil

The word "Vasiliko" means "of the King," since the word "Basileus" in Greek means "King"; so, the plant Vasiliko, Basil, is tied to the Precious Cross of the King of Glory, Jesus Christ. On the spot where the cross was discovered, St. Helen and Constantine the Great had found a hitherto unknown flower of rare beauty and fragrance, which has been named basil.

The herbalist John Gerard, noted that those who have been stung by a scorpion, do not feel pain, if they ate basil and Nicholas Culpeper, noted for basil, it was "a herb of Mars and under Scorpio, and as a result called Basilicon, by relating it to the Regulus . The Oxford English Dictionary make speculations that basil may have been used in "some royal ointment, bath or medicine." Basil is still considered by many cookery authors as the `king of herbs`.

Most often, basil, used fresh in cooked recipes. Generally, the last minute is added, as cooking quickly destroys the flavour. The leaves are not the only part of basil used in cooking applications, flowering buds also have a more delicate taste and are edible.