Ground Bay Leaves, Laurus nobilis, are also called bay leaf powder, ground bay leaf, or bay leaves powder.

Bay Leaves have an essential oil of .8% - 3.0%.
 

What Are Ground Bay Leaves

Bay Leaves are rarely used fresh, and they have a strong flavor and can easily overwhelm a dish if you add too many. Ground Bay Leaves, because more of the surface area of the leaf is exposed, can seem even more potent. Ground Bay Leaves are used in small amounts in spice blends, pickling blends, and Bloody Mary mixes.

These Ground Bay Leaves are from Turkey. Turkish Bay Leaves are considered true Bay Leaves and should not be confused with California Bay Leaves, Umbellularia californica, which come from a different plant and while the their leaves have a similar flavor to Turkish Bay Leaves, they are even more pungent. In the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child wrote “American bay is stronger and a bit different in taste than European bay. We suggest you buy imported bay leaves.” We are not one to argue with the wisdom of Julia Child. Today imported Bay Leaves do not actually come from Europe but from the Mediterranean coastal region of Turkey.

The tree that produces Bay Leaves is interchangeably referred to as a bay tree or a laurel tree.
 

History of Bay Leaves

The origin of Bay Leaves is most probably South Asia, from where it spread to the Asia Minor region of the Middle East along the coast of what is now Turkey. The tree was discovered by the Ancient Greeks over 3,000 years ago in what is modern day Turkey and was brought back to Greece and Rome for cultivation.

The ancient Greeks decorated their statues of Aesculapius (God of medicine) with laurel leaves. Triumphant athletes of ancient Greece were awarded laurel garlands and these were given to the winners at Olympic games beginning in 776 BC. It was also believed that these laurel wreaths provided safety from Zeus, who as the Greek God of weather, was responsible for lightening blots and thunder. The second Roman Emperor Tiberius (42 BC - 37 AD) always wore a laurel wreath for protection during thunderstorms.

By the Middle Ages (500 - 1500 AD), the leaves popularity spread throughout Europe for both medicinal and culinary use and were cultivated in Medieval monasteries. Their rich, gentle, savory flavor paired easily with the roast meats and the evolution of stocks and sauces that were rapidly becoming very popular in Medieval and Renaissance kitchens. Guillaume Tirel, known as Taillevent, was one of the first truly "professional" master chefs as well as the chef to France's King Phillip VI (beginning in 1326), he listed Bay Leaf among the basic spices in his kitchen cupboard.

Just as many New World foodstuffs crossed the Atlantic aboard Spanish galleons and were introduced to Europe, so too were European ingredients brought to the Americas. Bay Leaves were one of the early herbs exported into Mexico and the early America.
 

Bay Leaf Cultivation

Bay Leaves are an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub in the family Lauraceae, cultivated for their leaves. Native to South Asia and Asia Minor, Most of the last remaining pockets of laurel forests in the Mediterranean are found in the mountains of southern Turkey, northern Syria, southern Spain, north-central Portugal, and northern Morocco.

Bay Trees thrive in more humid environments and are found growing at the edge of streams, places where the base water is high, or at altitudes open to the humid winds of the sea. Bay Trees can also be found on the region’s arid southern slopes, where there is no seepage water or moist stream environment but the trees are exposed to the wet sea air. Does best with annual rainfall between 25 - 80 inches. Ideal soil is sandy loam or clay loam. Bay trees prefer temperate winters (where temperatures rarely drop below 50°F).

While bay trees can reach a height of up to 60 feet in a natural environment, in a commercial setting they are kept at the shrub height of 4-6 feet tall for easier maintenance and harvesting. At harvest time the tree, or shrub, should be reduced to 8" from the collar which results in a repeated harvest cycle. Commercial harvesting begins in the 4th or 5th year after the initial seedling planting and the crop reaches full capacity in the seventh to eight year. Bay leaves are generally picked from mid November until the beginning of March. The leaves are dried in sheds and turned every 3-4 days. The leaves take 10-15 days to fully dry. Once dry the leaves are removed from the branches and placed in air-tight sacks for transportation.
 

Where Is Our Ground Bay Leaves From

Turkey.
 

What Flavor Do Bay Leaves Add

A bitter, spicy, strong and pungent flavor with a cooling undertone. The taste is piney with hints of nutmeg, clove and with muted camphorlike notes.
 

How Do You Use Ground Bay Leaves

Bay Leaves have been long been used in cooking, and this versatile herb is used in wide range of dishes, sauces, and condiments. Bay Leaves can also be a key ingredient in cheese, liquors, oils, and teas. Its essential oil is used commercially in beverages, dental products, perfumes, prepared foods, and soaps.

Bay Leaves are featured in Creole, Italian, and Spanish cooking where they are commonly added to flavor fish and shellfish dishes, such as bouillabaisse. They are an excellent addition to many pickling brines, sauces, soups, and stews.

Bay Leaves are good with beef, chicken, citrus fruits, fish, game, lamb, lentils, rice, tomatoes, white beans, soups and stews.

Bay Leaves work well in combination with allspice, garlic, juniper, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, savory and thyme.
 

What Can I Substitute for Ground Bay Leaves

Bay Leaves have a bit of a bitter, spicy, and pungent flavor with cooling undertones so you want to keep that in mind when you choose a substitute. There are no herbs or spices that exactly replicate the flavor of a bay leaf— although some herbs embody a similar menthol, pepper, or “piney” taste and come close.

Dried Thyme is our preferred Bay Leaf substitute. While looking nothing alike, Dried Thyme is also native to the Mediterranean region and has a similar, subtle minty flavor. Dried Thyme works best as a Bay Leaf substitute in recipes that use beef and lamb. 1 bay leaf = ¼ teaspoon Dried Thyme or ¼ teaspoon crushed Bay Leaf = ¼ teaspoon Dried Thyme.

As a member of the mint family, Dried Basil can also be used as a Bay Leaf substitute as it has similar bitter and peppery notes. ¼ teaspoon crushed bay leaf = ¼ teaspoon dried basil.

One Dried Bay Leaf = ¼ tsp Ground Bay Leaves and One fresh bay leaf = ½ tsp Ground Bay Leaves.

 

Hungry for More Information

The Best Fruit and Vegetable Seasonings
What Spices Go With What Meat
Most Popular Spices by Cuisine
Flavor Characteristics of Spices