A to Z of French Herbs - Bay Leaves

Bay Leaves

One of or possibly the most important herbs in French cooking. It could be said is the bayleaf. It's essential in many French dishes, stocks and of course the bouquet garni. So what is a bayleaf?

In France, bay leaves are known as Feuilles de Laurier. Feuilles means leaves in French. They are part of the evergreen family of trees. Laurel bay trees are actually related to the cinnamon family.

They're said to facilitate digestion, reduce bloating and flatulence and also is good for infections, sprains, muscle pain, joint pain, rheumatism, relieving colds and flus and lowering blood pressure, fighting stress and anxiety.

Depending on where you live will depend on what tree your bay leaves comes from. The most common in Europe is the Bay laurel tree or Mediterranean Bay Laurel. In North America, it's the California baytree. India has the Indian bay tree, which has a smaller and lighter green color leaf. Indonesia has the Indonesian baytree. Caribbean countries, the West Indian bay tree and in South America, the Mexican bay tree.

Emperor Napoleon wearing his gold bay leaf crown.

It’s thought that bay trees originated from the Mediterranean. They’re used to symbolise many things in different cultures around the world. The Greco Romans thought that it represented victory, and Julius Caesar has often been portrayed wearing a bay leaf wreath as a crown. Napoleon also crowned himself with a gold bay leaf crown.

Bay leaves are the symbol of Apollo and represent the immortality acquired by victory. Some cultures use bay leaves as a symbol of peace.

In ancient Greece, a crown of bay leaves was awarded two winners of the second of the ancient Olympic Games. In the first games, the winners received a crown of olive leaves so for the second games these were replaced with bay leaves.

In French the term Baccalauréat comes from French students finishing their studies of medicine and being given a bay leaf wreath to congratulate them. Nobel Prize winners are called Nobel laureates and in the UK, the mark of honor given to the country's appointed poet is the title of Poet Laureate because of this French baccalaureat tradition.

Bouquet Garni with Bay Leaves, Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary and Sage

When eaten fresh the bay leaf has a sharp bitter taste to it. But when dried the leaves have a herbal aroma, which is slightly floral, and similar to other herbs like oregano and thyme.

Bay leaves are used for flavouring by the ancient Greeks. They feature in the cooking of many European cuisines, particularly those of the Mediterranean, as well as in the Americas.

They're used in soups, stews, brines, meat, seafood and vegetable dishes as well as sauces.

Many French dishes have bay leaves as an ingredient. Often it's used in a bouquet garni along with some parsley and thyme. Then they're removed before serving the dish. In French cuisine, they are more often used in a recipe without many people knowing, as a seasoning ingredient in those dishes. Bay leaves are also an essential ingredient in many French pickling marinates.

Long cooking of the bayleaf in dishes draws out the flavors and scents of the bay leaf and most braised poached and stewed dishes benefit from the addition of a bayleaf as do soups and stocks.

Biriyani

Other cuisines not just French also use bay leaves, like Indian cuisine, where the bay laurel leaves are used instead of the Indian Bay, as they have a different flavour. They are used in rice dishes like Biryani, and as an ingredient in Gara Masala.

In the Philippines, dried bay laurel leaves are used in several Filipino dishes. Thai and Laotian cuisine use bay leaves and dishes like Massaman curry.

You can use bay leaves to add flavor to lots of different ingredients. If you place bay leaves in a bottle of olive oil they will infuse their flavour into the oil which can then be used to cook with.

Also you can add bay leaves to the cooking water of pasta or rice to infuse, and also to infuse in milk when making ice cream. Place some dried Bailey's in a cup of hot water and allow to steep for 10 minutes, and then you have a calming sleep tea.

For a non cooking use of baby leaves you can scatter them around in your pantry. This will help to repel moths, flies and cockroaches. Very popular in yoga rooms apparently, is to create that Zen atmosphere by burning bay leaves to perfume the room. You can do this by burning charcoal in a middle of a bowl. Then cut a few bay leaves into small pieces and smoke the room. Aerate the smoke, and then your zen interior will be free of those negative waves apprently.

This was the topic on Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast and you can listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts on the links below or wherever you listen to podcasts.