The bay,
Laurus nobilis L., is indigenous to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean basin, and its dried aromatic leaves are used as a culinary herb. Bay leaf has a strong, spicy and pungent flavor with cooling undertones. Its flavor is described as piney, nutmeg and clove-like with slight camphor-like notes.
It has a slightly bitter aftertaste. The crushed leaf releases a strong aroma and has a grassy, sweet flavor.
Bay leaf is primarily used to flavor foods, and it is used by chefs of ethnic cuisines from Italian to Thai. It is used in soups, stews, soup stocks, pickles and in meat and fish marinades. The French use it in their popular bouquet garni, bouillalbaisse, bourride and bean soups. Turks use it to flavor grilled fish, fish casseroles and kebabs.
Leaves are also placed in canned salmon, tuna and sardine to remove or mask the strong fishy odor.
Bay leaf is thought to be useful for gastric ulcers, high blood sugar, migraines and infections.
The uses of bay leaf
