I am a pizza enthusiast, a pizza restaurateur in fact, and never a historian. But it's always been fascinating to know a little bit of something right? For example, a little bit of history or background, and that's what I'm going to do - briefly state, for your information (and appreciation, hopefully), a little bit of something about spices in general, and basil, to be specific.
You know, early civilisations in many different parts of the world have begun using spices many centuries ago. If you dig in into your history books, you'd know that a great deal of trading activities back in the olden days was spurred by the demand for spices.
Yes, you heard it right, spices! It's no wonder then that some spices were eventually incorporated as ingredients of pizza, lasting to this day.
These spices may come from or take the form of a dried seed, fruit, bud, flower, bark, root, leaves or vegetative substance; and are used as an additive in food preparations for colour or flavouring, or as garnish. The term herb is often used in reference to mild leafy spices.
Our generation is, I should say, a little bit lucky since spices don't come cheap during those days. Due to high demand from the population as early as the Middle Ages, spices commanded a really high price.
The most common of these spices include the black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Since most, if not all, of the spices were imported from plantations in Asia and Africa (most plant sources grow in tropical climates), it was really expensive to buy them then, especially in Europe.
It is interesting to note that the Republic of Venice had a monopoly of the spice trade with the Middle East from the 8th until the 15th century, according to some references. It made the region rich, including the neighbouring Italian city-states. Naturally, people back then would experiment on the use of these spices in their dishes, pizza included.
Ever wondered which is the most popular spice of pizza?
It has to be basil leaves, a variety of herb from the mint family which includes oregano, thyme, marjoram, savoury, sage, and mint.
Basil has been originally cultivated for more than 5,000 years in India, Africa, and other parts of Asia. The word basil, they say, came from a Greek word, which meant king.
King of herbs, sounds yummy if you ask me.
Some proponents claim that basil is believed to have grown at the spot where the Holy Cross was discovered by St. Constantine and Helen. In fact, there were quite a number of authors and cooks who believed, and who continuously believe, I suppose, that basil is indeed the king of herbs.
For starters, basil is characterised by its very unique, pungent taste and smell. It is best described as having a subtle peppery and earthy taste with a slight hint of sweetness, like that of liquorice.
You should not worry so much as where to source your fresh basil leaves. Apart from being widely available in most grocery stores and vegetable markets, it is quite easy to grow your own basil, whether in the ground or in small containers.
While basil is best grown outdoors, under the sun and in a tropical weather, it is also possible to grow basil indoors if placed on a south facing window, or with the aid of a lamp.
Once fully mature, a basil plant will be about one to four feet tall, with plenty of those silky, green basil leaves that you can freshly pick not just for your pizza requirements, but for so many other recipes as well!
You know, early civilisations in many different parts of the world have begun using spices many centuries ago. If you dig in into your history books, you'd know that a great deal of trading activities back in the olden days was spurred by the demand for spices.
Yes, you heard it right, spices! It's no wonder then that some spices were eventually incorporated as ingredients of pizza, lasting to this day.
These spices may come from or take the form of a dried seed, fruit, bud, flower, bark, root, leaves or vegetative substance; and are used as an additive in food preparations for colour or flavouring, or as garnish. The term herb is often used in reference to mild leafy spices.
Our generation is, I should say, a little bit lucky since spices don't come cheap during those days. Due to high demand from the population as early as the Middle Ages, spices commanded a really high price.
The most common of these spices include the black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Since most, if not all, of the spices were imported from plantations in Asia and Africa (most plant sources grow in tropical climates), it was really expensive to buy them then, especially in Europe.
It is interesting to note that the Republic of Venice had a monopoly of the spice trade with the Middle East from the 8th until the 15th century, according to some references. It made the region rich, including the neighbouring Italian city-states. Naturally, people back then would experiment on the use of these spices in their dishes, pizza included.
Ever wondered which is the most popular spice of pizza?
It has to be basil leaves, a variety of herb from the mint family which includes oregano, thyme, marjoram, savoury, sage, and mint.
Basil has been originally cultivated for more than 5,000 years in India, Africa, and other parts of Asia. The word basil, they say, came from a Greek word, which meant king.
King of herbs, sounds yummy if you ask me.
Some proponents claim that basil is believed to have grown at the spot where the Holy Cross was discovered by St. Constantine and Helen. In fact, there were quite a number of authors and cooks who believed, and who continuously believe, I suppose, that basil is indeed the king of herbs.
For starters, basil is characterised by its very unique, pungent taste and smell. It is best described as having a subtle peppery and earthy taste with a slight hint of sweetness, like that of liquorice.
You should not worry so much as where to source your fresh basil leaves. Apart from being widely available in most grocery stores and vegetable markets, it is quite easy to grow your own basil, whether in the ground or in small containers.
While basil is best grown outdoors, under the sun and in a tropical weather, it is also possible to grow basil indoors if placed on a south facing window, or with the aid of a lamp.
Once fully mature, a basil plant will be about one to four feet tall, with plenty of those silky, green basil leaves that you can freshly pick not just for your pizza requirements, but for so many other recipes as well!
