It's hard enough to find rabbit in my benighted country, let alone WILD rabbit, but I treasure your last bit of advice nonetheless: "a petite salade of bitter leaves (escarole, frizzée, rocket) to drop into the juices at the end." Perfect with just about anything from the farmyard.
Fresh bayleaf as mildly toxic - well, interesting....in my own experience, dried leaves have a spicy warmth - cinnamon, mostly - while fresh leaves are distinctly grassy and lack the spiciness. Toxicity? Folk-belief, as with so much to do with matters herbal. On Madeira, which is pretty much solid bay-forest from mountain to sea-shore (many diff varieties - nobilis inc), locals use the dried leaves as a medicinal infusion (cure-all) and wouldn't dream of using them fresh. And dried bay-leaves are always packed with dried figs in Turkey as an insecticide. Nothing conclusive, just cumulative info. (thx for Atlas Obscura essay - fascinating).
It's hard enough to find rabbit in my benighted country, let alone WILD rabbit, but I treasure your last bit of advice nonetheless: "a petite salade of bitter leaves (escarole, frizzée, rocket) to drop into the juices at the end." Perfect with just about anything from the farmyard.
Fresh bayleaf as mildly toxic - well, interesting....in my own experience, dried leaves have a spicy warmth - cinnamon, mostly - while fresh leaves are distinctly grassy and lack the spiciness. Toxicity? Folk-belief, as with so much to do with matters herbal. On Madeira, which is pretty much solid bay-forest from mountain to sea-shore (many diff varieties - nobilis inc), locals use the dried leaves as a medicinal infusion (cure-all) and wouldn't dream of using them fresh. And dried bay-leaves are always packed with dried figs in Turkey as an insecticide. Nothing conclusive, just cumulative info. (thx for Atlas Obscura essay - fascinating).
Hi Elisabeth,
As always, so enjoyable to read your weekly stories!
I was surprised though by the note that fresh bay laurel is slightly toxic.
I have several trees of Laurus Nobilis and have used them fresh, the leaves, for years, and never noticed any ill effects.
The California Bay I do believe is toxic and I don't care much for it's flavour so no hardship to avoid it.
Coincidentally today in Atlas Obscura I received this, also about all the different "Bay" leaves.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-a-bay-leaf?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4bf8e86e03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_09_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4bf8e86e03-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=4bf8e86e03&mc_eid=a2fc6d0637
Annabelle