Bay leaf: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Aromatic leaf}}

{{Distinguish|Cherry laurel}}

Bay leaves are used in [[cuisine]]s including [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], [[Filipino cuisine|Filipino]], [[European cuisine|European]], and [[Caribbean cuisine|Caribbean]]. They are typically used in soups, stews, meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes. The leaves should be removed from the cooked food before eating as they can be abrasive in the [[digestive tract]].

==Chemical constituents==

==Taste and aroma==

If eaten whole, ''Laurus nobilis'' bay leaves are [[pungent]] and have a sharp, bitter taste. As with many spices and flavourings, the fragrance of the bay leaf is more noticeable than its taste. When the leaf is dried, the aroma is herbal, slightly floral, and somewhat similar to [[oregano]] and [[thyme]]. [[Myrcene]], a component of many essential oils used in perfumery, can be extracted from this bay leaf. They also contain [[eugenol]].<ref name="Encyclopedia of Spices: Bay Leaf">{{cite web | url=http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/bay.html | title=Encyclopedia of Spices: Bay Leaf | access-date=11 April 2009 | archive-date=16 April 2009 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20090416234125/http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/bay.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Uses==

Bay leaf is typically used in cooking to flavor [[broth]]s, [[grain]]s, [[soup]]s, [[stew]]s and [[Stock (food)|stocks]]. It is typically removed before serving.<ref>{{Cite book |last=The Culinary Institute of America |author-link=The Culinary Institute of America |title=The Professional Chef |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-470-42 135-2 |edition=9th |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |page=180}}</ref>

In the Philippines, dried bay laurel leaves are used in several Filipino dishes, such as [[menudo (stew)|menudo]], [[pares (food)|beef pares]], and [[philippine adobo|adobo]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ponseca |first1=Nicole |title=I am a Filipino and this is how we cook |last2=Trinidad |first2=Miguel |date=2018 |publisher=Artisan |isbn=978-1-57965-767-3 |location=New York}}</ref> Bay leaves were used for flavouring by the ancient Greeks.<ref>[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/botany/trees.htm "Ancient Egyptian Plants: Trees" ''www.reshafim.org.il''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031195750/http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/botany/trees.htm |date=2013-10-31 }} Retrieved October 29, 2013</ref> They are a fixture in the cooking of many European cuisines (particularly those of the [[Mediterranean cuisine|Mediterranean]]), as well as in the Americas. They are used in soups, stews, brines, meat, seafood, vegetable dishes, and sauces. The leaves also flavour many classic French and Italian dishes. The leaves are most often used whole (sometimes in a {{lang|fr|[[bouquet garni]]}}) and removed before serving (they can be abrasive in the digestive tract). [[Thai cuisine|Thai]] and [[Laotian cuisine]] employs bay leaf ({{langx|th|ใบกระวาน}}, {{lang|th-Latn|bai kra wān}}) in a few Arab-influenced dishes, notably [[massaman curry]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tan |first=Hugh T. W.

Bay leaves are also used in the making of [[jerk chicken]] in the Caribbean Islands.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DeMers |first=John |title=Authentic Recipes from Jamaica |date=March 13, 2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |language=en}}</ref> The bay leaves are soaked and placed on the cool side of the grill. Pimento sticks are placed on top of the leaves, and the chicken is placed on top and smoked. The leaves are also added whole to soups, stews, and other [[Caribbean]] dishes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Caribbean Currents: Bay leaf has a special place in Caribbean homes |url=https://www.phillytrib.com/caribbean-currents-bay-leaf-has-a-special-place-in-caribbean-homes/article_3c4b3cf4-78cc-5815-a605-81cabf356384.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |publisher=The Philadelphia Tribune |date=26 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Clarke |first1=Denise |title=5 Ways to Make the Best Jerk Chicken |url=https://jamaicans.com/5-ways-make-best-jerk-chicken/ |website=Jamaicans.com |date=17 June 2017 |publisher=Simbis Inc. |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>

=== Other ===

Bay leaves have been used in [[entomology]] as the active ingredient in [[killing jar]]s. The crushed, fresh, young leaves are put into the jar under a layer of paper. The vapors they release kill insects slowly but effectively and keep the specimens relaxed and easy to mount. The leaves discourage the growth of molds. They are not effective for killing large beetles and similar specimens, but insects that have been killed in a cyanide killing jar can be transferred to a laurel jar to await mounting.<ref  name=JohnSmart>{{cite book | last = Smart | first = John | title = British Museum (Natural History) Instructions for Collectors NO. 4A. Insects | publisher = Trustees of the British Museum | location = London | year = 1963  }}</ref> There is confusion in the literature about whether ''Laurus nobilis'' is a source of cyanide to any practical extent, but there is no evidence that cyanide is relevant to its value in killing jars. It certainly is rich in various essential oil components that could incapacitate insects in high concentrations; such compounds include [[Eucalyptol|1,8-cineole]], alpha-terpinyl acetate, and [[methyl eugenol]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Marzouki | first1 = H | last2 = Piras | first2 = A | last3 = Salah | first3 = KB | last4 = Medini | first4 = H | last5 = Pivetta | first5 = T | last6 = Bouzid | first6 = S | last7 = Marongiu | first7 = B | last8 = Falconieri | first8 = D | year = 2009 | title = Essential oil composition and variability of Laurus nobilis L. growing in Tunisia, comparison and chemometric investigation of different plant organs | journal = Nat Prod Res | volume = 23 | issue = 4| pages = 343–54 | doi = 10.1080/14786410802076200 | pmid = 19296375 | s2cid = 5971542 }}</ref> It also is unclear to what extent the alleged effect of cyanide released by the crushed leaves has been mis-attributed to ''Laurus nobilis'' in confusion with the unrelated ''[[Prunus laurocerasus]]'', the so-called cherry laurel, which certainly does contain dangerous concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides<ref name= "vWvHvO">{{cite book |last1=van Wyk |first1=Ben-Erik |last2=van Heerden |first2=Fanie |last3=van Oudtshoorn |first3=Bosch |title=Poisonous Plants of South Africa |publisher=Briza |location=Pretoria |year=2002 |isbn=978-1875093304}}</ref> together with the enzymes to generate the [[hydrogen cyanide]] from the glycosides if the leaf is physically damaged.<ref name="SchomburgSalzmann2013">{{cite book|author1=Dietmar Schomburg|author2=Margit Salzmann|title=Enzyme Handbook: Volume 1: Class 4: Lyases|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uf7CAAAQBAJ&pg=PT270|date=11 November 2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-642-86605-0|pages=270–}}</ref>

==Safety==