Welcome to the Celtnet Herb Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available herbs have become the 'Cinderella' flavourings in the culinary world and more and more herbs are falling out of common usage. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary herbs together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Herb Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the herbs given here whether common or rare can be obtained via a specialist herb nursery.

This is the description page for Bayleaves (Laurus nobilis) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Bayleaves.

As their name suggests, Bayleaves are the leaves of Bay or Laurel tree (Laurus nobilis) a member of the Lauraceae or laurel family of trees. Originally native to Asia Minor, it is now widespread around the Mediterranean and can be grown in relatively frost-free regions of more northerly climes (but it does not tolerate prolonged frost very well).

The whole leaf is used in many European cuisines (most notably Mediterranean cooking) where they are commonly used to flavour soups, stews, meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes as well as for the creation of stocks such as the classic French bouillabaise and bouillon. Generally the dried leaves are added whole to a dish and are removed before serving.

The essential oil of the leaves is predominantly composed of 1,8 cineol (50%), with eugenol, acetyl eugenol, methyl eugenol, α- and β-pinene, phellandrene, linalool, geraniol and terpineol found in lesser quantities. It should be noted that the taste of fresh bay leaves is fairly mild and they only really develop their full pungency some ten days or more after being picked and dried. The distinctive, rather bitter, taste of bay leaves is, to a large extent, due to the high levels of the essential oil, eugenol, found in the leaves. Just about any meat-based sauce such as spaghetti sauce or chili or any meat stew can be enhanced by adding a few dried bay leaves whilst cooking.

The English name, 'laurel' is derived from the Latin laurus which may, itself be derived from the proto-Indo-European root *Deru (oak tree cf Ancient Greek drys [δρῦς] and Welsh derw both meaning oak [the Latin 'l' frequently corresponds to 'd' in Indo-European root words]). Originally the oak was the tree of Zeus, though later this became the laurel tree, hence the association between them. The other English name 'bay leaf' (Middle English baye, Old French baie) is ultimately derived from the Latin bacca (literally 'berry') and originally referred to the fruit of the bay tree, which the Romans commonly used as a spice.

The recipes given below contain bayleaves as an important or dominant component. However, you can also access all the recipes on this site that contain bayleaves as an ingredient.