laurel
Also: bay leaf, soup leaves, spice laurel
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Description:
evergreen bay tree, native to the Mediterranean region
Leaves: leathery, tough, lanceolate, slightly wavy with the entire margins, glossy upper side, matt underside. The leaves stay on the tree for several years until they fall off.
Main suppliers: Turkey, Italy, Balkans
The leaves are of good quality if: sessile, green, dry and whole leaves.
Laurels are the ripe and dried fruits of the bay tree, the oil of which is used as an insect repellent.
Harvest time:
In summer
Offer forms:
fresh, dried, whole, cut, ground
Ingredients:
1-2.5% essential oils: mainly cineole, polyphenols, tannins, bitter substances
Taste and smell:
Taste: very strong + spicy bitter aroma (more intense with fresh leaves than with dried ones) broken bay leaves lose their aroma quickly.
Cooking and kitchen use with typical dishes:
The leaves only release aromas and flavors when they are cooked. They are added to the food at the beginning of the cooking process and removed again before serving.
Soups: vegetable soup, puree soup, stews made from legumes
Fish dishes: fish stock for steamed fish
Meat dishes: braised meat, goulash, fricassee, mutton, game, boiled ham, salted meat, sauerbraten, oxtail ragout,
Marinades
Sauces: tomato sauce, gravy
Vegetables: sauerkraut, red cabbage, aspic, pickled beetroot, mustard pickles, mixed pickles, pickled cucumbers and pumpkins
rice dishes
Use within dietetics:
appetizing and digestive effects
