Bay Leaf, Indian

Indian bay leaf is a relative of the more common bay leaf, or laurel.

Indian bay tree	Indian bay leaves	Dried Indian bay leaves

Species:	Cinnamomum tamala.
Origin:	Southern Asia.
Source:	Indian bay leaf is found on the south slopes of the Himalayas in Kashmir and the North Indian states.
Used Part:	Leaves. The bark may also be used, as an inferior substitute of cinnamon or Chinese cinnamon.
Family:	Lauraceae (laurel family).
Effect:	Strongly aromatic, somewhat reminiscent of cinnamon or cloves.
Etymology:	For the etymology of the common name "Indian bay leaf", see bay leaf. The genus name cinnamomum refers to cinnamon, a plant of the same family (laurel), and the botanical species name tamala refers to South India - a misnomer as the plant grows in the north.
	The Sanskrit name tamalapattra means "dark leaf". Greek traders took the name to their own language, falsely identifying the Sanskrit word as the plural form malabathra from which they backformed the singular form malabathron. This name was then taken by the Romans as malabathrum.
	Many recent languages of North India have names for Indian bay leaf that derive from the Sanskrit name, e.g. the Marathi tamal patra. In Hindi and some related tongues, the spice is known as tejpatta "pungent leaf".
Uses:	Indian bay leaves are the leaves of a tree that is closely related to cinnamon. The tough, three-veined leaves are popular in North India, but today are little known elsewhere. They were well known to the Romans under the name malobathrum and were used both for perfumery and in cooking. In recipes they were often referred to as folia "leaves". Indian bay leaves were still available during the Middle Ages and were used for beer brewing till the 16th century, but later they fell victim to the multitude of new available spices and were forgotten.
	Today, Indian bay leaves are a spice used almost exclusively in the kitchens of North India, especially for the famous Mogul cuisine developed at the Imperial courts of Delhi and Agra. Mogul cooking contains elements derived from Arabic and Persian cooking and aims at a complexity and perfection comparable to the architectural beauty of the Taj Mahal, built in the same era.
	In Mogul cuisine, much use is made of sweet and aromatic spices, with Indian bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom considered the most important spices for biryani rice dishes. Indian bay leaves are also found in kormas, for which the North Indian city of Lucknow is famous. They also form part of the North Indian spice mixture garam masala, almost the only time when they are used in ground form.
	Since Indian bay leaves are hardly available in the West, books encourage use of bay leaf (laurel) instead. The taste is not the same and bay leaf is also weaker in flavour. The best substitutes for Indian bay leaves are cinnamon leaves or fresh cardamom leaves, but these are also not easy to find. A small piece of cinnamon bark or a few dried allspice berries make a simple and superior substitute.