Bay Laurel Herb Profile

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This is Umbrellularia californica, the California bay variety.
This is Umbrellularia californica, the California bay variety.
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Hardy bay laurel herb has a rich history to match its rich flavor.
Hardy bay laurel herb has a rich history to match its rich flavor.
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You can shear laurels into treelike standards.
You can shear laurels into treelike standards.
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Bay herb is used to make a traditional laurel crown.
Bay herb is used to make a traditional laurel crown.
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One creative use for bay leaves: Make a simple, fragrant holiday wreath of dried bay.
One creative use for bay leaves: Make a simple, fragrant holiday wreath of dried bay.

The bay laurel’s many namesakes attest its status among trees. Rosebay, mountain laurel, bayberry, and laurel oak all have as their point of reference the dark green, aromatic leaf or dark blue berry of Laurus nobilis, the classical bay.

The History of Bay Laurel Herb

According to myth, Apollo declared laurel sacred after the nymph Daphne eluded his advances by becoming a laurel tree. Apollo’s approbation no doubt led to the use of laurel in various ceremonies of state in classical antiquity. As the Sun God was believed to be the giver of victory, leaves of bay honored winners of wars and athletic games.

Eminent poets wore the laurel crown, flattered by their association with Apollo, the supreme songster. And the Oracle at Delphi, servant of Apollo, God of Prophecy, took her inspiration with a bay leaf clinched in her teeth. Even today, the laurel adorns the poet laureate and the baccalaureate, if in name only.

Cooking With Bay Leaves

  • Published on Jan 1, 1986
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