Bay Leaf - Bangkok

[Finlaco]

Hi

Any one knows where to buy Bay Leafs in Bangkok, used in filipino cooking

Thanks

[rice555]

Hello Finlaco, try the 'western food forum' or foodland, villa or makro. I think most people on any of the OG/ farming forum don't live in BKK.

This is more about starting a bay tree farm, not buying the leaf.

Did you try looking first?, I can find them at Big C, The Mall, Lotus, Makro and several other stores here in Korat.

rice555

[Foreverford]

Hello Finlaco, try the 'western food forum' or foodland, villa or makro. I think most people on any of the OG/ farming forum don't live in BKK.

This is more about starting a bay tree farm, not buying the leaf.

Did you try looking first?, I can find them at Big C, The Mall, Lotus, Makro and several other stores here in Korat.

rice555

Hey Finlaco guy why in the heck did you dial into our trip. Are you really looking for organic fresh bay leaf grown here in Thailand then we are the ones to try to turn you on to them otherwise it is probably time to delete you and let us not cluster up our site. So if you need organic then you have the right site and just be abit more descriptive because we're all here to help you and others but time is a precious thing....except when there stillis 45 minutes til the world cup begins. Ps bay grows wild many places in the world and maybe even here if you had doen asearch on our site i bet you would have found thye subject discuss but anywho I'm not too sure if yu know Fords are Forever

[drtreelove]

I don't know the answer, but it's an interesting subject for me because it has to do with trees. Hey somebody might be growing it organically and welcome an inquiry.

I used to gather leaves of Lauris nobilis (bay laurel) for cooking purposes when I had a pruning job on one of these trees. I also used Umbellularia californica (California bay laurel) which is more plentiful where I come from, but it's much stronger flavor than the original; can also be used for insect repellent on the job crushed and smeared on the clothes, or in the home pantry.

I've since come to learn that there are other cooking herbs called bay leaf, so be sure of what you are shopping for. Philippine cooking; could it be the Indonesian bay leaf from the Syzygium species. I don't know.

From Wikipedia:

Several other plants use the term "bay leaf," but do not refer to the leaves of the Bay Laurel. They include:

• California bay leaf

The leaf of the California bay tree (Umbellularia californica), also known as 'California laurel', 'Oregon myrtle', and 'pepperwood', is similar to the Mediterranean bay but has a stronger flavor.

• "Indian bay leaf" (also tej pat, tejpat, tejpata तेजपत्ता or Tamalpatra तमालपत्र or palav aaku in Telugu)

The leaf of the Cinnamomum tejpata (malabathrum) tree is similar in fragrance and taste to cinnamon bark, but milder. In appearance, it is similar to the other bay leaves but is culinarily quite different, having an aroma and flavor more similar to that of cassia. It is inaccurately called a bay leaf because while it is in the same family, it is of a different genus than the bay laurel.

• "Indonesian bay leaf" or "Indonesian laurel" (salam leaf)

The leaf of Syzygium polyanthum. Not commonly found outside of Indonesia, this herb is applied to meat and, less often vegetables. Like Indian bay leaf, it is also inaccurately named because the plant is actually a member of the Myrtaceae family.^[2]

^{Bay leaves are a fixture in the cooking of many European cuisines (particularly those of the Mediterranean), as well as in North America. They are used in soups, stews, meat, seafood and vegetable dishes. The leaves also flavor many classic French dishes. The leaves are most often used whole (sometimes in a bouquet garni) and removed before serving. In Indian (Sanskrit name Tamaalpatra, Hindi Tejpatta) and Pakistani cuisine bay leaves are often used in biryani, other rich spicy dishes - although not as an everyday ingredient in home cuisine - and as an ingredient in garam masala.}

^{Bay leaves can also be crushed or ground before cooking. Crushed bay leaves impart more of their desired fragrance than whole leaves, but are more difficult to remove, and thus they are often used in a muslin bag or tea infuser. Ground bay laurel may be substituted for whole leaves, and does not need to be removed, but it is much stronger due to the increased surface area and in some dishes the texture may not be desirable.}

^{Bay leaves can also be scattered in a pantry to repel meal moths[5], flies and roaches. It is also true that the Romanies would place a dried Bay Leaf underneath their pillow on St. Valentine's Day. It was believed that the leaf would cause the user to dream of his or her future marriage partner}