Bay laurels
Many different leaves around the world are referred to as “bay leaves”. These come from a wide range of unrelated plants. Here in the Northwest, we have two evergreen tree species, both in the laurel family, whose leaves are called “bay leaf”.
In the US, the best-known bay leaf is the Mediterranean bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), found throughout the Mediterranean Basin, where it is native. In the Pacific Northwest, we have our own native tree, Pacific bay laurel (Umbellularia californica).
Both species of trees are easily grown, drought-tolerant plants for the Northwest Coast and Northern California regions of the Pacific Northwest. Their range is limited by their cold-hardiness.
Species
Bay laurels
Pacific bay laurel (Umbellularia californica)
Mediterranean bay laurel (Laurus nobilis)
‘Crispa’
‘Angustifolia’
Pacific bay laurel
The Pacific bay laurel, which can easily grow to heights of 100 ft, is also commonly referred to as Oregon myrtle, California bay, or myrtlewood.
Its native range is in California and southern Oregon, but it easily grows throughout the Portland area and can be grown up to British Columbia without trouble. They have been reported to endure temperatures down to at least -10°F, so its stands to reason that they may even succeed in parts of the Inland Northwest.
Pacific bay laurel is especially easy to grow, and will often volunteer in local gardens. Many of the trees I see growing as weeds seem to be planted by squirrels. I’d caution not to leave them unattended; these trees can easily grow to be 50 ft. tall.
Cooking with Pacific bay laurel
Bay leaves are used, usually dried, as a spice in many cuisines around the world. They add an aromatic, herbal quality to food. Pacific bay leaf is downright potent, however, and its aroma is much stronger than the better-known sweet bay leaf. Be careful, because it’s easy to overpower a dish with its flavor.
I recommend using the leaves dried, rather than fresh, and using half the amount you would of sweet bay leaf. It can easily overpower a dish. Its flavor is a bit heavier, with more camphor and eucalyptus notes.
Claims of toxicity
Umbellularia californica contains a compound called “umbellulone”, which is toxic to humans in large doses and can cause headaches when inhaled (from broken leaves, for example). Another common name for the tree is the “headache tree”. I've experienced this myself by accidentally smelling too many crushed, fresh leaves.
Many lesser known edible plants, especially aromatic ones, are categorized as toxic by authorities, even though their safe usage is long-established. This is an especially common trope with native plants.
One glaring example of this phenomenon is the tropical tonka bean, which is only banned in the US. Tonka beans have a vanilla-like flavor due to a compound called “coumarin”. There is a major discrepancy in that the cinnamon that we commonly use in the US, cassia cinnamon, contains very high levels of coumarin and is perfectly legal for use. Toxicity and dose are inextricably linked; many spices we commonly use are technically toxic and even fatal if consumed in large enough quantities. For example, ingesting 5 grams of nutmeg powder can be enough to make a person extremely ill, and more can kill you.
In the case of bay leaf, I found a 1974 study which listed the LD50 (a measure of the lethal dose) of Pacific bay leaf essential oil at 2.7 grams/kilogram. Fresh Pacific bay leaf contains about 40-60% umbellulone by weight. Because it is highly aromatic, only half a dried leaf, which barely weighs even 1/10th of a gram, can easily be enough to flavor a full 4-quart pot of soup. This means that you are only ingesting a minute fraction of the dose, and I would be hard-pressed to think it’s not safe in culinary applications, especially considering its longstanding indigenous use. And to top it off, I’ve noticed recently that Pacific bay leaf is now being sold by several commercial vendors.
Other edible parts and uses
Pacific bay trees produce bay nuts in mid-fall. The nuts look similar to tiny avocados (they’re actually closely related). They can be roasted and made into a cacao- or coffee-like product. Many sources online state that the nuts contain a psychoactive substance similar to caffeine, but never state which one. So far, I’ve yet to see a compound be identified, I haven’t experienced these effects myself, and no other laurel family plant contains any alkaloids similar to caffeine, so its purported psychoactive properties seems highly unlikely. It appears to be misinformation that has spread.
The pickled flower buds make an interesting caper-like condiment. They’re tougher than capers, however, so I used them crushed into a paste as an ingredient for sauces. Collecting the buds is a bit labor intensive. The trees bloom in winter.
Mediterranean bay laurel
Although the dried leaves of a wide range of different plants are referred to as “bay leaf”, the most common one in American cooking is from Laurus nobilis, the Mediterranean bay laurel.
As its name suggests, Mediterranean bay laurel is native to and found throughout the Mediterranean Basin. It might seem that Mediterranean bay laurel is not suited to our climate and should be confined to warm mediterranean climates such as California’s. However, although sweet bay laurel is a little less cold-hardy than our native bay laurel, but there is plenty of variation within the species, and cold-hardy varieties are readily available. These are said to be hardy down to 5°F. They’re very well adapted to the climate of the Northwest Coast; I’ve seen large sweet bay trees all over Portland. One notable tree near my house produces leaves nearly the size of my hand. Two notable cold-hardy varieties are ‘Crispa’, with wavy leaves, and ‘Angustifolia’, with long, thin leaves.
Cooking with Mediterranean bay laurel
Mediterranean bay leaf has a somewhat sweet and lighter aroma than our native Pacific bay leaf and is a de facto spice for many Mediterranean dishes. It’s been in use since the Antiquity and was a very popular spice in Roman cuisine, even used in sweet dishes such as honey and bay leaf cheesecakes. In modern times, they are also used extensively in European, North American and South American cuisines. The leaves are nearly always used dried.
A lot of the Mediterranean bay leaf sold in stores is of poor quality. If you want good flavor, look for leaves that are still fairly green. They should still have a marked freshness to their aroma and some flex when you bend them. Tan and brittle bay leaves are just old and flavorless.
Another common Roman ingredient, laurel berries from the Mediterranean bay laurel were often cooked with meats. They have a robust flavor. I have not yet explored this ingredient, but I will update this section once I test it out.
