Legend has it that in Kalsa , the Arab quarter of Palermo , there lived a beautiful young girl who spent her days taking care of the flowers she grew in her garden.

One day, a young Moor noticed her while she was tending his plants and fell madly in love with her, immediately declaring his love ; the girl, struck by his audacity, returned the feeling.

Unfortunately, the young soldier was already married and, as soon as our Sicilian Judith discovered that her beloved was going back to his wife in the East, she waited until nightfall and cut off his head, turning it into a “ grasta ”, a pot in which she planted basil, placing it on display outside on the balcony.

The plant , watered with her tears, grew lush and the inhabitants of the neighborhood, not to be outdone, had terracotta vases made in the shape of a " Moor's head ".