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| own grown tomatoes |
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| Genoa Basil |
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| wild basil |
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| Purpetual basil |
In the Middle Ages, "Ladies of the Night" would wear sprigs of the herb, to tempt their clientele.
During the time of "The Great Unwashed" when running fresh water was only found outside the city, basil was used often with other herbs ( mint, rosemary) to cover up one's body odor..a nose posy was also used by the "dandies" of the Imperial courts of France before the revolution.
It was also used in the time of The Plague as to ward off witches and all illnesses, along with rue, garlic and fennel.
A great dish inspired by the "Ladies of the Night" is Puttanesca sauce, this is a basic Marinara sauce with the addition of capers and olives..here is how it came about.
When the 'ladies" had finished their "entertaining" and needed a good meal, the tavern owners offered them a basic pasta sauce and to give it more body, they threw in the capers and olives which were freely available ( they are already preserved in brine so need no special preparation), and they add a "deep meaty flavor to the sauce"...without the need for cheese which would have cost more.
Maybe this sauce deserves the recognition of being the oldest sauce in the world...lol.it is by far one of the simplest and tastiest.
I am preparing this along with some dishes inspired from India, and Morocco this week..I will post photos later
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