Genovese Basil is the gold standard of culinary basils — the classic Italian variety behind great pesto, Caprese salads, and any dish that deserves a fragrant finishing touch. Its broad, glossy leaves are intensely aromatic with a rich, sweet flavor and a subtle clove-like depth that only intensifies when torn fresh over a dish or bruised in a mortar. Few herbs reward the home cook as generously, and nothing matches the flavor of fresh-from-the-garden Genovese basil in peak summer.