A plant highly valued in antiquity, bay leaf is traditionally used when packing dry foods (figs, flour, legumes) to protect them from insects and bacteria.
In cooking, it gives its characteristic aroma to fish soups and chicken soups, and it goes extremely well with lentils and chickpea dishes.
It can also be used in oven-baked dishes, as well as in red sauces.
It can be used as a decoction in hair washes to fight dandruff, and as a poultice it helps with bruises, chest infections, cough and colds.
We gather the bay leaf from wild-growing small trees on Kallidromo, in spring and autumn, when they put out light-coloured fresh shoots and their leaves are more aromatic.