# Why do we add Bay leaves to our soups/stews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 10, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366 "2005-08-10T00:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/1 "2005-08-10T00:10:46Z")
I’m currently baby-sitting a pot of beef stew on the stove, and I added a couple Bay leaves. I always have Bay leaves on hand, and reflexively add them to soups & stews, mainly because Mom always did, and recipes often call for it. But why? What flavor do Bay leaves impart? Would my soups/stews come out somehow lacking, were I to omit the Bay leaves? Is there anything that absolutely must be wedded to the flavor of Bay leaves, and if so, why? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/2 "2005-08-10T00:17:16Z")
Bay leaf do add a flavour, and a very nice one IMHO but they are nothing like as important as onion, garlic, salt, or pepper for flavouring. Just chew a piece to get an idea of what the flavour is. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/3 "2005-08-10T00:27:51Z")
Chew? I heard that if you eat them they kill you. No kidding, I was petrified of them. I’d spoon my soup around until I found anything remotely similar to a bay leaf and make sure that it was far far away from my soup. -foxy ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/4 "2005-08-10T00:34:27Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Chew? I heard that if you eat them they kill you. No kidding, I was petrified of them. I’d spoon my soup around until I found anything remotely similar to a bay leaf and make sure that it was far far away from my soup. > > -foxy My mom told me something similar, and I always thought it very strange you _had_ to add something poisonous to your soups, and you _had_ to make sure you removed it before eating. Don’t eat the Bay leaf, it’s poisonous! That’s part of why I started this thread. I think me mom was playin’ wit me. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/5 "2005-08-10T01:04:21Z")
They aren’t poisonous. They _are_ sturdy little buggers though, and they don’t soften much from cooking, and they can cut your mouth or throat. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/6 "2005-08-10T01:49:01Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Chew? I heard that if you eat them they kill you. No kidding, I was petrified of them. I’d spoon my soup around until I found anything remotely similar to a bay leaf and make sure that it was far far away from my soup. > > -foxy He said chew–he didn’t say swallow. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/7 "2005-08-10T01:58:14Z")
In some dishes bay leaves give a sort of bright taste to contrast the richness. Black-eyed peas are very much improved by adding bay leaves. They’re just a nice enough nutty/smoky flavor until bay gets in there and adds a bit of sharpness. Rosemary can do the same. My mom always made sure to count all the bay leaves because she regarded them as a choking hazard on top of not being very pleasant to eat. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/8 "2005-08-10T02:27:45Z")
They aren’t poisonous, but the leaves are very hard and the veins in them tough. They can cut you if you chew them, and you can choke on them. I’ve also heard they can perforate things if swallowed (like swallowing a pin). ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/9 "2005-08-10T02:49:45Z")
I read somewhere long ago that English housewives would share bay leaves during the WWII rationing…one precious bay leaf making the rounds of a block, especially during holiday season. Is that a myth? If it’s true, that would indicate that they last for a long long time. It seems wasteful, when I can go to the store and get a big bag of bay leaves very cheap, that I throw it/them away after every use. Also, is it true that they repel roaches? I don’t believe everything I read, but I read that and took one of those bags and scattered them everywhere I could, out of sight (behind the oven, under the sink, in the cabinets). I haven’t seen a roach since, but I don’t know if it’s the bay leaves or the result of the last time the landlord sprayed. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/10 "2005-08-10T02:55:41Z")
The only time I’ve eaten Indian food, there was a bay leaf in my food. **PACUG** informed me that Indian people don’t remove them before serving, and that they liked the person eating it to get the whole dish or something like that. Any experiences here? ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/11 "2005-08-10T14:10:18Z")
It makes me happy to hear other people say that _ONE_ bay leaf is good for a pot of soup/stew. My stepmother and her mother were apparently never informed of this. The stepmonster was a terrible cook anyway but having to pick out the huge handful (no exaggeration) of roughage was quite an experience. And the taste…OMG. I was actually frightened of beef stew until about the age of 15. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/12 "2005-08-10T14:56:19Z")
Crush one in your hand and sniff to get a feeling about the flavour. This works for nearly all herbs. I never found one bayleaf to give enough flavour, 4 or 5 tends to be just about right for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/13 "2005-08-10T16:07:14Z")
The ‘poison’ question. This comes from the use of the word laurel to name several different plants. Laurel is the common name of several different plants some of which are poisonous. This has lead to such confusion. Bay leaves (AKA Sweet Laurel, Bay Laurel) are quite safe, but don’t eat the leaves of any other laurel. Here is a good [cite](http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/laurel.htm) for this info. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/14 "2005-08-10T16:19:27Z")
As for choking, they are hard to chew and digest, like lime leaves, lemon grass, curry leaves, rosemary sprigs, and whole spices. Try and pick them out before serving, especially if you are serving to Children, old people or the infirmed. Dried bay leaves have a good flavour but are especially nasty to swallow so generally be careful to only use whole dried bayleaves and pick them out, or wrap broken dried bay leaves with other herbs inside a bouquet garnie (sp) which is inside a muslin cloth that is tied up. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/15 "2005-08-10T20:23:50Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > The ‘poison’ question. > > This comes from the use of the word laurel to name several different plants. Laurel is the common name of several different plants some of which are poisonous. This has lead to such confusion. Bay leaves (AKA Sweet Laurel, Bay Laurel) are quite safe, but don’t eat the leaves of any other laurel. Here is a good [cite](http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/laurel.htm) for this info. That’s good information. Shoot, now I want to grow my own! I suspected bay leaves had a sort of rosemaryish flavor, but just adding one to a whole pot of soup seems like it wouldn’t do anything. OTOH, it would never occur to me to dump a whole handful of leaves into something. I’ll usually add one leaf, if it’s a whole, good sized leaf, otherwise I might add two or three, if they’re small or broken. To tell the truth, I think I add bay leaves to soups more as a good luck charm, than flavor. But at least now I know it is actually adding flavor to it, too. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/16 "2005-08-10T20:30:57Z")
I’ve always eaten them (and curry leaves in curries)–I didn’t realise you were supposed to pick them out! I’ve cut the inside of my mouth twice eating popcorn but never eating these ‘additions’ ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/17 "2005-08-10T20:31:21Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > especially if you are serving to Children, old people or the infirmed. Where did you get that? 🙂 And is it “infirmed” or “infirm”? Pull over and show me your dictionary. Are they always dried? There is of course a great deal of difference in dried and fresh herbs. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/18 "2005-08-10T20:35:15Z")
I used fresh Bay Laurel leaves a couple of times when we lived the Bay Area. They tend to grow alongside redwoods, for some reason. They smell lovely when you pick them, but I found them to be a little too pungent in cooking. I think the kind you buy dried are a different species and have a more subtle flavor. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/19 "2005-08-10T20:42:29Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I used fresh Bay Laurel leaves a couple of times when we lived the Bay Area. Well, duh. That’s why it’s called the Bay Area. 😉 BTW, why can’t seagulls fly over bays? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/20 "2005-08-10T21:10:07Z")
Here I was going to mention that I thought it was hysterical last night when someone told me bay leaves were poisonous and that’s why we take them out of food before eating. I’d never heard that before but apparently it’s a common belief! Why do people think we would put poison in our food? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366.md?page=2)