Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Herb guide to Bayleaves along with all the Bayleaves containing recipes presented on this site, with 941 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives information about Bayleaves and a listing of all the Bayleaves-based recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Bayleaves as a major herb flavouring.

As their name suggests, Bayleaves (or bay leaves) 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 bouillabaisse 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.