The variety of basil most commonly associated with Italian cooking is known as sweet basil, as opposed to the Thai basil popular in Southeast Asian cuisine. Basil is easy to grow at home, either in the garden or potted indoors, with warm, dry conditions most preferable for its growth. The fragrant flavour of basil is at its best when eaten fresh and, generally, raw, and for this reason basil is commonly used as a garnish to salads and hot dishes or stirred through sauces just before serving.

This collection of basil recipes demonstrates how important the herb is to both classic and contemporary Italian cooking. Bursting with fresh flavours, Andrea Migliaccio's Basil pesto recipe is a truly iconic Italian dish, while the Cerea Brothers similarly acknowledge the cultural significance of basil in Italian cuisine in their seafood starter recipe 'The Mediterranean', with basil served alongside red prawn, burrata and tomato. Tomato and basil are, of course, the golden couple of Italian cooking and from Andrea Berton's stunning tomato sauce recipe to Gaetano Trovato's Ricotta ravioli this collection is full of examples of the two ingredients pairing perfectly together.