FoodBanter.com - View Single Post

wrote:
> Katra wrote:
>
>>Ok, I know this is really going to make me sound ignorant, but my mom
>
>
>>almost never used bay leaves and I did learn to cook mostly from
>
> her....
>
>>so what is up with Bay Leaves?
>>Why do I want to use them?
>>What flavor do they impart?
>>
>>I understand you use them whole because you need to remove
>>them when you are done as they are toxic if eaten??? <snip>
>
>
> 1. There are two kinds of (dried) bay leaves sold, one from California
> and the other imported (Turkey, I think). Do not use Calif bay leaves,
> as the flavor is disappointing. Be sure to check the spice bottle for
> origin of the leaves; if the label doesn't tell you the origin, the bay
> leaves are most likely from Calif.
>

I bought a cellophane bag of bay leaves at a India/Pakistan ethnic
market about a year ago. They were cheap and the leaves are not very
pretty (a lot of split and broken leaves, insect damage, etc.) I
bought them mostly because they were cheap.

but they are *far* stronger and better tasting than the pretty bay
leaves I've bought in fancy bottles, or the not-quite-so-pretty ones
I've bought in cellophane packages from Mexico.

Bob