Used mostly in Thai and Asian cooking as a flavoring, the leaves are also deep fried and sprinkled on some Thai dishes. Sweet Basil and Thai Purple Basil are not a substitutes for Holy Basil, they taste completely different. Holy Basil does not have the strong aniseed or licorice smell of Thai Basil; and Holy Basil has a spicy flavor sometimes compared to cloves.

Dullish green fresh leaves which come packaged in plastic bags. It is available now in many Asian stores. This is not worth buying any other way but fresh.

Thai Basil is sometimes wrongly called Holy Basil in shops but they can be distinguished by their very different aroma and flavour. Holy Basil is slightly hairy, whereas Thai Basil is smooth and hairless.