Revisit A to Z of French Herbs - Bay Leaves - Feuilles de Laurier

Revisit A to Z of French Herbs - Bay Leaves - Feuilles de Laurier

In this week’s Revisit Sunday episode of Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast, we’re returning to one of the most essential herbs in French cooking — the beautifully aromatic Bay Leaf, or feuille de laurier. Often overlooked yet always present, this humble leaf has been quietly flavouring French soups, stews, and sauces for centuries.

Host Andrew Prior takes us back through the history and culinary magic of the Bay Leaf, exploring its place in the traditional bouquet garni, its symbolic meaning in French culture, and why chefs from Michelin-starred kitchens to rustic French farmhouses swear by its subtle but powerful aroma.

From Provence to Paris, the Bay Leaf connects generations of French cooks through its versatility and depth of flavour. Whether it’s simmering in a comforting pot-au-feu, adding warmth to a daube provençale, or bringing complexity to a creamy béchamel, this herb proves that sometimes the quietest ingredients make the loudest impact.

So pour yourself a glass of wine, grab a piece of baguette, and join Andrew for a deliciously fragrant journey into the world of Bay Leaves — a reminder that in French cuisine, even the smallest touch can make something truly fabulously delicious.

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:01 Bay leaves
• 5:28 Substack
• 6:22 Cooking with bay leaves
• 7:21 Outro

Transcript

Speaker: 0:05

Bonjour. And this is fabulously The French food podcast. I'm your host, Andrew Pryor. Enchanté. I'm a former MasterChef Australia contestant now living the delicious life here in France. And today we're revisiting one of my favourite episodes from the archives. All about the humble yet powerful Bayleaf or Fleur de Lorraine, as they call it here in France. An ingredient so small, yet it French cuisine, from hearty And it even stretches back to So grab a glass of wine, a chunk It's time to rediscover the story and flavour of the bay leaf. Welcome to Fabulously Delicious. In French bailiffs are known as fer delaurier, spelled f e, u double l e d d e a l a u r I e r in English. They're either called bay leaves of the evergreen family of related to the cinnamon family. They're said to facilitate flatulence, and also are good pain, joint pain, rheumatism, lowering blood pressure, Depending on where you live will leaf comes from. The most common in Europe is the bay laurel tree or Mediterranean bay laurel. In North America, it's the India has the Indian bay tree, green color leaf. Indonesia has the Indonesian bay Caribbean countries. The West Indian bay tree and in South America, the Mexican bay tree. Bay leaves originated. It is thought, from the It's used to symbolize many around the world. The Greco-romans thought that it represented victory, and Julius Caesar has often been portrayed wearing a bay leaf wreath as a crown. Napoleon also crowned himself Baileys are the symbol of Apollo acquired by victory. Speaking of victory in ancient Greece, a crown of bay leaves was awarded to winners of the second of the ancient Olympic Games. In the first games, the winners received a crown of olive leaves. Some cultures use bay leaves The term baccalauréat from the French language comes from French students finishing their studies of medicine and being given Bailey to congratulate them. Nobel Prize winners are called the mark of honour given to the title of poet laureate. When eaten fresh, the bay leaf but when dried, the leaves have floral and similar to other Bay leaves were used for flavouring by the ancient Greeks. They feature in the cooking of many European cuisines, particularly those of the Mediterranean as well as in the Americas. They use soups, stews, brines, meat, seafood, vegetable dishes and sources. Many French dishes have Baileys Often it's used whole, and sometimes in a bouquet garni, along with some parsley and thyme. Then they are removed before serving the dish in French cuisine. They are more often used in a recipe without many people knowing. As a seasoning ingredient. The bay leaf is also an French pickling marinades. Long cooking of bay leaf in scents of the bay leaf, and most benefit from the addition of bay Other cuisines also use bay leaves, like Indian cuisine, where the bay laurel leaves are used in place of Indian bay leaf as they have a different flavour. They are used in rice dishes ingredient in garam masala. In the Philippines, dried bay several Filipino dishes. Thai and Laotian cuisine use bay leaves and dishes like massaman curry. Bonjour fabulous listener. Are you part of the fabulously delicious Substack newsletter community yet? If not, you're truly missing Whether you're a French food lover, a Francophile, or simply curious about life here in France, my newsletter is your backstage pass to all things fabulous. By signing up, you'll unlock exclusive stories and behind the scenes insights. Special offers for my cherished inspiring content about French And the best part? You can choose a free subscription or upgrade to a paid one for even more fabulous perks. So why wait? Click the link in the show notes to join today! Let's explore the delicious world of French food and life in France together. But you can use bay leaves to add flavor to lots of different ingredients, like placing them in a bottle of olive oil, adding to the cooking water of pasta or rice to infuse, and also to infuse in milk when making ice cream. Place some dried bay leaves in a steep for ten minutes. And then you have a calming Tea for a non cooking use of bay Scatter them around in the pantry and this will help to repel moths, flies and cockroaches. Very popular in yoga rooms zen atmosphere by burning bay lights and charcoal in a metal leaves into small pieces and Air raid the smoke, and then of those negative waves. And that's a wrap on this revisit episode of Fabulously Delicious. I hope you enjoyed rediscovering leaf and all the flavor, brings to French cuisine. Do you use bay leaves in your I'd love to hear your thoughts. Send me a message on Instagram at Andrew Fabulously or by email. Contacted Andrew Prior Com and let me know what you If you enjoyed today's episode, someone who loves French food. And don't forget to leave a It really helps more food lovers Merci beaucoup for listening. And remember. You know what my motto is? Whatever you do, do it Until next time. Bon appetit and avoir.