Basil is used in Mediterranean cuisine in combination with tomatoes, cheeses, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, white meats and some peach products. Basil is the basic ingredient of Genoese pesto, a typical sauce of Ligurian cuisine, together with pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil.
This herbaceous plant has several healthy properties, as well as gastronomic, known for centuries. Even today, its leaves are used both to flavor dishes with an intense taste, and to create herbal teas useful against stomach pain, aerophagia, as a function of digestive aid and astringent.
Laurel is also called "Laurel" or "Poets' Tree", it has been known for centuries in cooking and herbal medicine. Its dried leaves are used both to flavor dishes and as an infusion. An infusion based on bay leaves helps digestion: it avoids annoying fermentations, fights stomach discomfort and loss of appetite. Very useful in the kitchen for flavoring potatoes, stews and second courses such as white meat stew.