African blue basil (Ocimum gratissimum) popularly known as scent leaf is found across Nigeria and West Africa, as well as, tropical regions around the world. Growing up I knew this leaf, with its distinctive aroma and flavour, as Ntong (Efik & Ibibio), but it is also known as Efirin (Yoruba), Nchianwu (Igbo), Daidoya (Hausa) in Nigeria among many other local language names that it is know by.
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Scent leaves have also long been used as a medicinal plant and known to provide a number of health benefits. On researching the benefits are apparently many, and some include treating malaria fever, cold & catarrh and cough, and oral infections. It has anti-inflammatory properties relieving ailments such as arthritis and gastroenteritis. Scent leaf is also known to address fertility challenges especially in men. Now the list goes on and there is quite a bit of research online if you wish to learn even more. I definitely encourage you to investigate.
For now let’s get to the recipe. I decided to use scent leaf to make a vegan pesto in place of Italian basil, which I normally use. I then used this to prepare a really simple pasta dish with fusilli, smoked portobello mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. The final dish was bursting with flavour. The scent leaf truly provided a unique twist to the pesto sauce. I encourage you to try this out for yourself.
Enjoy!