Thai Foodcast

Holy Basil gets its name from its long time use as a medicine and in religious ceremonies in India. The leaves themselves are small, green and hairy, with a smattering of purple. The stems are purple as well, and it has a slightly bitter and extremely pungent taste and odor, it's one of the strongest tasting basils.

You can substitute normal Italian Sweet Basil for Holy Basil, but it does lose that distinctive kick. We haven't had much luck finding this variety here, but you may try your local Asian food store.

Luckily it seems to take to California's climate pretty well (though it does die out each winter), so we grow our own in our kitchen garden.