Saturday, April 27, 2013

Benefits Of Using Dried Bay Leaves

By Janelle Burnett


In all over the world dried bay leaves are used for multiple purposes. This leaf is also known by many different names but the most common is bay leaf as it is taken from the bay tree. They are commonly used in flower pots as air freshener, worldwide cuisine, medicines and many other things. Previously it was used as an essential element of beauty treatments.

When it comes to cooking they act as an important ingredient in various marinades, pickles as well as flavoring curries and sauces. South Asian countries like Pakistan and India quite frequently use it in day to day cooking. One of the reason why people add this leaf to their food is because it serves several medicinal purpose. Its regarded good for digestion as well as keeping liver and gall bladder healthy.

If you buy fresh ones you will see that they go bad quickly and you can't use them any more. On the other hand if you buy these ones they last for quite a long time also they don't taste as bitter as the fresh leaf does and the flavor of it gets a bit mild as well. You can also dry them at home you just need to put them under direct sunlight for a day or two and then afterwards simply store them in air tight containers.

Just like cardamoms and cloves, this leaf has a very strong flavor therefore it must be used in very small quantities because otherwise it may over power the whole taste of the dish. Whether it is Indian, Italian, Thai or English cuisine it acts as a key ingredient in almost all of them. Most common dishes that are enhanced with this ingredient include curries, rice and other roast dishes. An advise is to remove any leaves before serving the food because its quite bitter and unpleasant in taste.

Since the beginning of nineteenth century or may be even more the use of this particular ingredient in culinary dishes has been recorded. Apart of its strong flavor it also provides benefit to human health because of being extremely rich in vitamin B and C and also contains good amount of iron and manganese.

The use of this ingredient in cooking improves the process of digestion and controls blood sugar level at the same time. It is also effective in relieving backaches and pain. Additionally, it is regarded as beneficial towards the treatment of bee stings and to treat stomach, kidney and liver infections.

Its also used in the bouquet garni which is actually a bunch of different aromatic herbs tied together in a cloth. Bouquet garni is used to add aroma in dishes like stews, roasts and steamed rice. Before serving the whole bunch is taken out and thrown away.

When it comes to dried bay leaves the associated culinary, medicinal and health benefits are far much greater than any negative affects that it may cause. This is the reason why the use of it has increased all around the world. Its a good thing to have a good stock of this product and more essentially it will never get stale as it is in a dry form.




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