Which way do bay (leaves) go

The ancient Greeks and Romans used bay leaves in wreaths to crown their victors. Even in Olympic games the champions wore garlands made of bay leaves. Also the word baccalaureate which means laurel berries is symbolic of successful completion of studies. 

History of bay leaves

Legend goes that the Greek God of Prophecy, Apollo, was madly in love with a nymph named Daphne, who wanted no part of his affections and turned herself into a bay tree, which were plentiful on the Greek islands, to hide from him. When he found out he declared the bay tree as sacred and wore a wreath of its leaves on his head in her memory.

In Turkey and Italy dried bay leaves are used to wrap liquorice for shipping. In China they are used to package rice because they ward off weevils. As these leaves have anti-microbial effects, I think sticking a few bay leaves in your rice bin should be a good storage tip to practice! 

Bay leaves are also known as sweet bay, bay laurel, noble laurel and true laurel. The source of the flavour that these leaves impart is the oil that is present in them and it is released once it is heated. It is mostly in Northern India that bay leaves are used more extensively. This is perhaps because of the Mughal influence. They used bay leaves in biryanis, kormas and garam masala and even today they are used as such. 

Its origins

Its origins can be traced to the Mediterranean region, and is also widely grown in Europe, California and in some Arabian countries. The Californian leaf is more intense and bitter than those from Greece. As this spice is ‘local produce’ it is abundantly used in Mediterranean meat, seafood and vegetables dishes. North American cuisine uses the leaf in soups and stews. But the most significant use is in the classic French spice bundle called bouquet garni, which has other herbs like thyme and rosemary. 

Where does the fragrance come from

Bay leaves or laurel are the dried leaves of an evergreen tree. Fresh bay leaves are oval in shape. They are fleshy and olive green in colour and difficult to come by in most parts of India. Dried ones are readily available and a good test of the quality would be to snap one in half and smell the fragrance. Sign of a good bay leaf is that it should be pungent and spicy. And the source of this fragrance is Myrcene, which is a component of many essential oils used in perfumery. The flavour and aroma of bay leaves is also due to the presence of the essential oil eugenol. This oil is only released properly when the leaf is heated (either dry roast or saute in oil). I don’t know if it is recommended but as such bay leaf is pungent which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. 

The tree grows to a height of 60 feet with thick and shiny leaves. To prevent curling the thin layers of leaves are weighed down and dried in the shade. Drying in the sun causes them to turn brown and lose much of their essential oil. The flavour intensifies with proper drying but old leaves fade quickly.

So the next time you want to cook up a fragrant banquet, just use a few of these flavourful leaves and cook up a storm.