English Name: Indian Bay Leaf

Botanical name: Cinnamomum tejpata

Urdu Name: تیز پات  

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

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Last modified: 06/21/09