Besobla:
The Popular Culinary Spice for Shero and other dishes
Immediately after the rainy season of the Ethiopian highlands we see fresh supply of bundles of Besobla being rushed from the country side to town markets. Besobla is one of the most common culinary plants of Ethiopia. Only a small piece of the fresh or dried herb is thrown into a cooked Shiro Wot in order to give it the tempting basil like fragrance and flavor.
Besobla is the local variety of the cosmopolitan sweet basil or Ocimum basilicum, the well known spice for spaghetti and other dishes of Europe and other parts of the world. Strictly speaking Besobla is known in science as O. basilicum var. basilicum. Ajuban, is the closely related species known botanically as O. basilicum var. thyrisiflorum. Flowering Ajuban is sold in road side markets and church gates in Addis Ababa particular during the rainy season, but it is used not as spice but mingled with fresh grass and spread on the floor at coffee ceremonies for its fragrance.
It is interesting to note that the cosmopolitan sweet basil is popularly used against indigestion, loss of appetite, for treating bad breath and headache, while its essential oil is used in the formulation of flavours, perfumes and insect repellants.
Ocimum is indeed an intriguing genus as it stands out in many cultures. Holy basil, previously known botanically as O. sanctum (now O. tenuiflorum), is among the most popular Indian medicinally plants where it is called Tulsi. In India Tulsi is used in Ayurvedic medicine and as herbal tea. In terms of use, the Ethiopian equivalent for Tulsi, is Damakese, or Ocimum lamiifolium. This is the traditional first aid-like medicine, which is recommended for various spontaneous ailments such as flu, cold, rash, high fever, nose bleeding etc. Normally one goes out into a garden to fetch some leaves, which are then crushed, squeezed, and the juice sniffed or mixed with water and taken internally. This popular medicinal plant is known as Yemitch Medhanit or “Medicine for rash or sudden illness”.
In 2012 the Ethiopian Postal Service Enterprise issued four stamps on common medicinal plants of Ethiopia. One of these stamps, shown above is for Damakese. The typographical error on the stamp in the species name should be corrected to Ocimum lamiifolium.