The variety of varieties of basil: description and characteristics of varieties

Basil differs in types, varieties, taste, smell and composition. Depending on the variety, the plant is used as a spice for meat, fish, desserts, added to drinks or medicinal preparations. Basil, which was considered sacred in ancient times, has tonic and tonic properties; lemon complements the taste of homemade lemonade, and fragrant is widely used in cooking.

Basil varieties

The genus Basil has 69 species. Plants differ in their emitted aroma, taste, chemical composition, color and leaf shape.

In the photo - basil seeds.

By aroma

If you grind and smell different leaves, it is easy to determine that they are different from each other.

On a note! For meat, plants with the smell of pepper, cloves or lemon are used, for fish and vegetables - anise, for sweet pastries and desserts - caramel and vanilla.

Clove

Plants with a spicy clove smell are used in marinades, sauces, preparations for the winter.

Examples of varieties:

1. Red Rubin is a medium early crop with large purple leaves. Suitable for sauces and fresh preservation.
2. Stella is a medium early variety with a strong clove scent. Elongated dark green leaves.
3. The clove scent gives off a pronounced clove scent. Compact bush up to 60 cm high grow all year round in pots in the kitchen.
4. Crimean. Basil has a rich clove aroma with subtle notes of pepper. The vegetative period of the plant is up to 65 days. The leaves are purple with a carmine tint, there are small notches on the edges.

Pepper

This fragrant culture is added to vegetable, meat, fish and other dishes, except for sweet desserts and tonic drinks.

Among the varieties stand out:

1. The dreamer is a medium late plant of a bright green hue. Reaches 70 cm in height.
2. Basilisk is a compact shrub up to 20-25 cm high, densely covered with small green leaves. The culture is early ripening.
3. Rox - has large, dark purple leaves. The vegetative period is 30–35 days.
4. Yerevan - early ripening, has a peppery aroma with hints of tea. The leaves are small with a blue-violet tint. Suitable for fish, meat dishes, sauces.

Citric

The rich lemon scent of the plant is used by culinary experts to prepare summer cooling drinks, delicious desserts and pastries.

Popular varieties:

1. Lemon scent is a semi-sprawling bush with a strong, pronounced lemon scent that is difficult to confuse with others. Light greens are suitable for decorating cakes, desserts, jellies.
2. Persian has small, light green leaves. Flowers of a pale pink color are collected in a small bunch. The variety was obtained by crossing lemon and Thai Basilica.

Caramel

If, when rubbing the plant in the palm of your hand, you can smell a pleasant smell of sweets, this basil belongs to caramel:

1. The pet is a mid-season variety with a high yield. The leaves are small, light green. Basil is added to vegetable salads, desserts.
2. Red Ruby is an early maturing compact plant. Used as salad greens and spices in cooking.

Marinade

Varieties with a marinade aroma are mainly used by culinary specialists for the preparation of canned vegetables. Such plants do not lose their aroma for a long time, they lend themselves well to heat treatment.

Representatives with the most intense smell:

1. Tempter. The spreading bush has large green leaves with a characteristic persistent marinade aroma.The plant is sharp and rich, so it is used sparingly.
2. Minx is perfect for making delicious marinades and canning. It grows as a spherical dense bush of rich green color.

Anisic

Anise-flavored varieties highlight and enhance food. Greens are used for first, second courses, desserts, snacks.

Popular plants:

1. Basil Aniskin has a strong aniseed aroma. It is used for fresh salads and canning for the winter. Leaves are ovoid, color from dark green to dark purple. The bush is erect, up to 50 cm in height.
2. Italian (Genoese) - a low bush (up to 30 cm) in width grows up to 60 cm.The leaves are small, light green with a strong aniseed scent.

The Italian variety is known as the main ingredient in the famous pesto sauce.

Peppermint

Basil with a mint-pepper aroma is an excellent dry spice for making tomato sauces, marinades for meat. Fresh greens are put into dietary vegetable salads.

Interesting! Common basil, or vegetable, appeared in Africa. It was brought to Europe by the soldiers of Alexander the Great. In Russia, the plant has been used mainly for medicinal purposes since the 18th century.

Greek is the most famous variety with a mint-peppery smell. Small shrubs up to 20 cm high can be grown in small pots at home on a windowsill. The plant is added to marinades for meat, fresh green salads, hot sauces.

Menthol

Greens with a menthol smell are added to refreshing tonic drinks, seasonings, and used as a flavoring agent for vegetable oil.

Velvet variety has elongated light green leaves (8 cm), grows as a medium-sized bush up to 30 cm in height. Spice is added to tonic and cooling drinks, baked goods, and is used for pickling.

Vanilla

Greens with an unusual vanilla aroma are used in the manufacture of baked goods, confectionery decorations.

Tall bushes of the Vanilla aroma reach 70 cm. Leaves change color as they develop: young ones - green, ripe - purple.

By color

An important characteristic by which plant varieties are divided is color. Basic shades - green and Violet... The rest of the colors are obtained by crossing varieties.

Reference. Purple basil is rich in anthocyanins - flavonoids with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other beneficial properties.

Green

Green basil has a mild and delicate taste without the characteristic pungency and bitterness. It is added to baked goods, dessert decorations, and drinks.

Description of the medium late variety Zastolny (below in the photo): the leaves are small, bright green, the aroma is strongly pronounced, reminiscent of allspice. The culture grows in a small bush 40-50 cm high.

Violet

The taste of purple basil is sharper than that of green, tangy, pronounced sharp aroma. Greens are added to hot spices, sauces and marinades for meat and fish dishes.

Description of varieties:

1. Charm - fragrant basil with large purple leaves and pink flowers. The aroma is aniseed and peppery.
2. Granada: deep red-violet leaves with purple tint. It is appreciated for its high yield (3.5 kg / m²) and ease of maintenance. The pleasant aroma remains dry.
3. Crimean grows into a tall shrub up to 70 cm high. Purple ovoid leaves with jagged edges reach a length of 6–8 cm. Intense cinnamon aroma remains dry and fresh. The greens are suitable for conveyor cultivation throughout the summer.

By form

Depending on the shape of the leaves, basil is small-leaved, large, bunched and spoon-shaped.

Small-leaved

Plants with small leaves are used to prepare fresh dietary salads. They do not need to be crushed, it is enough to cut them off the bush and add to the dish.

The Spring Mood variety has small light green, slightly bubbly leaves. Strong peppery aroma. According to reviews, Spring mood loves a lot of light and warmth.

Spoon-shaped

Spoon-shaped, or lettuce, varieties are named for the unusual concave shape of the leaves in the form of a spoon.

Basil Spoon-shaped - small dwarf bush spherical up to 15–20 cm tall, small light green leaves. The plant emits the aroma of cloves and bay leaves. It is mainly used for preparing fresh salads, preparations for the winter.

The variety is grown both at home and in personal plots.

Large

Bushes grow with very large leaves - up to 7-10 cm in length. These are usually tall varieties, so they are rarely grown at home. Greens are used fresh or dry ground for canning for the winter, in seasoning for making marinades.

The Mauritanian variety has large leaves with a purple-violet tint and jagged edges. Bush basil is high - reaches 65–70 cm. The vegetative period is 60–65 days.

Puchkova

This crop is often grown in a pot on a windowsill. Compact, undersized, globular bushes produce crops throughout the year.

The Osmin variety grows into a small compact shrub up to 15–20 cm high. The leaves are purple with small jagged edges.

Basil is suitable for growing on a windowsill or an insulated balcony, used for garden decoration as a curb plant. As a spice, it is added to salads.

Conclusion

Types and varieties of basil differ in color and shape of leaves, height of the bush, delicate or sharp aroma with unusual notes from peppery to vanilla.

Knowing the differences, it is easy to find a plant that is suitable for preparing the first or second course, dessert or drink.