Bay Leaf


The herb bay leaf comes from the laurel tree - generally the leaves are dried here before being sold. Bay leaf can be used in cooking and it also has some uses in medicinal terms. Most people will use dried bay leaves rather than fresh ones.

Bay leaf in cooking

Bay leaves are often used to flavour meat, fish, soups, sauces, vegetables, stews and casseroles. Generally the cook will take the bay leaf out once the cooking process is done as the herb is not particularly pleasant to eat in itself. It is also important to be careful how many bay leaves you add to a dish - they can leave a bitter and not very pleasant taste if you overuse them.

Bay leaves are very popular in Mediterranean cookery and are a primary flavouring in many French recipes such as bouillon and bouillabaisse. Indian cookery also uses this herb in many rice dishes. The leaves are also often used with other herbs to make up a bouquet garni.

Bay leaf in medicine

Bay leaves are used to treat a range of different ailments. For example, many practitioners of alternative medicines use bay leaf to help with:








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