The Light Fantastic

摘要

More and more home cooks are building up an arsenal of oils to have on hand, whether fancy extra-virgin olive, trendy hemp, avocado, or argan. Now perilla is making a case for its own pride of place. A longtime staple in Korea, perilla oil has a flavor akin to sesame but with a more nuanced, nutty taste backed up by a hit of licorice. It comes from the toasted seeds of a large, green perilla plant common in Asia. In the U.S., it's also known as Chinese basil, but the leafy plant is actually related to shiso, in the mint family. In addition to having a captivating flavor, the honey-colored oil is high in omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids-good for supporting a healthy immune system-and omega-3s, which have been shown to help prevent heart attacks and inflammation. (This is the fatty acid that made fish oil supplements a $3 billion-and-growing industry.) "It has one of the highest proportions of omega-3s among plant-based oils, almost as much as more famous ones like flaxseed and chia," says culinary nutritionist Kristy Del Coro.