I ca n’t even suppose my kitchen without bay leafage in the spicery rack .
It would be like cooking with both hands wed behind my back . How could I even survive without the menthol , pine , and peppery flavor that the leaves put out when slowly simmered in liquid state .
I know some hoi polloi dislike this herb , and say that it does n’t really have much flavor , but that ’s gimcrack in my opinion . Just boil some broth with the leaves and some without and tell me you ca n’t tell the remainder .
Do you know what I do when I endure out of the leaves ? I sour to one of the many bay leafage alternatives .
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There are many plants that are referred to by the common name “ embayment , ” and some of them have a similar flavor to the pop herbaceous plant .
Others that go by the same name are n’t edible , and it ’s authoritative to know the difference .
In this usher , we ’ll sing about nine plants that have the same unwashed nickname and may look like , and discuss whether or not they are edible .
Here ’s the inclination :
9 Types of Bay Trees
1 . Bay Laurel
2 . Bay Rum
3 . California
4 . Amerind
5 . Indonesian
6 . Loblolly
7 . Magnolia
8 . Mexican
9 . Redbay
allow ’s start with the one most of us think of when we imagine the vulgar spiciness .
Laurus nobilis , commonly call sweet bay , lawful laurel , bay laurel , and Hellenic laurel , is the one that most of us think of when we envisage the spice .
The evergreen trees are part of the Lauraceae family and hail from the Mediterranean part .
The trees can grow up to 55 human foot marvelous in Zones 7 to 10 . The leaves are pointy , with a crinkly margin and are brickle . Their flavor comes from the all important oil 1,8 - cineole , also sleep with as eucalyptol .
L. nobilisfoliage contains 57 per centum 1,8 - cineole which becomes more concentrated when they are dried . The fresh leaves are generally milder in look than when they are dried .
Bay Laurel
If you want to add one of these flora to your herbaceous plant garden , you’re able to find oneself plantsavailable at Fast Growing Trees .
Learn more about how to mature bay laurel in our template .
Bay rum , dulcet , or West Native American true laurel tree ( Pimenta racemosa ) is aboriginal to India and the Caribbean area and can attain heights of 40 feet and more , in Zone 10 and above .
It ’s related to allspice and is highly fragrant , much more so thanL. nobilis .
The leaves have main promissory note of cinnamon and Eugenia caryophyllatum , with under note of vanilla and cardamom . The foliage is even used to make cologne called , fitly , bay rummy .
The lustrous gullible lanceolate leaves darken as they senesce and can be up to five inches long , with a more rounded peak thanL. nobilis .
In improver to being used as a spice and fragrance , the leafage can also be used as an insect repellant and medicative afternoon tea . The berries and flowers of this tree diagram are toxic .
Oregon myrtle or California bay ( Umbellularia californica ) has eatable foliage and is often used as a substitute forL. nobilisin falsify .
It contains just 20 percentage 1,8 - cineole , along with 37 percent umbellulone . This mix to give the foliage a similar scent and flavor to bay laurel , but with much more menthol .
The leaves are more narrow and rounded , with a lighter hue thanL. nobilis , and grow up to five and a half inches long .
aboriginal to California , it ’s also evergreen and can grow up to 100 feet tall in Zones 7 to 9 .
Amerind bay or bark ( Cinnamomum tamala ) is a tree in the Lauraceae sept and the leaves are used as a popular spicery in India , Nepal , and Bhutan . The tree grow up to 65 feet tall in Zones 9 to 10 .
When compared to bay laurel , there ’s no confusing the two plants as they are completely different .
The five - in farewell ofC. tamalaare lustrous , olive green , and have three mineral vein rather than one .
As the first part of the binomial paint a picture , the smack of the foliage has impregnable eminence of cinnamon . It contains beta - caryophyllene , linalool , and eugenol which impart this fragrancy and flavor .
The bark can be used as a substitute for cinnamon . But the comestible leaves are n’t a good substitute forL. nobilis .
Indonesian true laurel ( Syzygium polyanthum ) is more intimately touch toP. racemosathanL. nobilis .
It ’s a massive tree diagram arise up to 75 foot or more , and the leaves are popular in Balinese , Javan , and Sumatran cuisine .
The leaves are wider than those ofL. nobilisand can be exhaust unused or used as a spice when dry .
They have a similar feel to bay laurel with eugenol and methyl group chavicol , with a slightly bitter and astringent flavor .
Both the six - inch leaf and fruit are edible . In some regions of Asia , like Indonesia , they ’re originate as fruit tree in the combining weight of geographical zone 10 to 11 .
Loblolly bay ( Gordonia lasianthus ) are n’t mutual in cultivation because they require very specific land to thrive .
They ’re also exceedingly busy about their required fond sun exposure and need moist but not wet conditions . These trees grow indigenously along the eastern seaboard of the US from Virginia to Florida .
G.lasianthusis part of the teatime family ( Theaceae ) and the cut stems have a heavenly pitchy - orange tree smelling , but no part of the plant is used for culinary purposes .
It ’s not toxic , just unpalatable . The leave-taking bear a striking resemblance toL. nobilisand the 75 - foot tree is decorated in camelia - similar white flowers in the spring .
If you ’re lucky enough to have the veracious weather to train this flora , it ’s a beloved ornamental and thrives in Zones 7 to 9 .
There are twomagnolia treesthat have “ bay tree ” in the common name : bull bay ( Magnolia grandiflora)and sweetbay ( M. virginiana ) .
Both earned that name because their leaves resemble redbay and bay laurel , and the wood hold a similar spicy fragrance to the leaves of those two species .
you’re able to eat the leave or use them in teatime , but they are n’t peculiarly flavorful and are certainly no backup for the right spice as they taste nothing like bay .
The foliage is much larger and a bit broad than that ofL. nobilis , but you could in spades see the resemblance .
Sweetbay Magnolia
Despite its lack of potential as a spice , the trees are perfectly gorgeous . If you live in Zones 5 to 10 , you’re able to bring a sweetbay magnolia homefrom Nature Hills Nursery .
memorize more about how to originate sweetbay magnolia in our templet .
Mexican bay ( Litsea glaucescens ) , as the name evoke , hails from Mexico and Central America in temperate forests and stream bank , though this species is nearly nonextant in its native range .
It ’s a small shrub that grows up to 16 feet tall with lancelike leave that have a dark - green hue on the underside . The leaves are smooth and quite narrow-minded .
L. glaucescensis edible and is often used as a backup man for bay laurel , with 1,8 - cineole , linalool , and beta - pinene providing the typical smell and flavor .
Part of the laurel family ( Lauraceae ) , redbay , shorebay , or swampbay ( genus Persea borbonia ) looks a lot likeL. nobilisand even has a like gamy fragrance when the leaf are beat out .
The leave are also exchangeable in build and size , reaching about five inch long . While it can be found in cultivation in Zones 7 to 11 , it is n’t super vernacular .
you’re able to observe redbay growing throughout the southeastern United States where it has been used as a seasoning by aboriginal the great unwashed for centuries . You , too , can enjoy the foliage as aL. nobilissubstitute . Do n’t eat on the fruit , though , as these are toxic .
unhappily , uncivilized works , which grow up to 60 feet tall , are being decimated by an encroachment of the redbay ambrosia beetle ( Xyleborus glabratus ) .
The Spice of Life
Whether you get to the original or you adventure out into the unsung , the man is full of bays for you to enjoy .
And formore information about grow true laurel laurelin your garden , check out these guides next :
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About
Kristine Lofgren
