There a several different types of bay leaf that come from different plants. They are generally used whole either fresh or dried, or ground form.
A summary of the main ones are as follows:
Name | Bay laurel or Mediterranean bay laurel | Indian Bay Leaf | Indonesian Bay Leaf or Indonesian laurel |
Laurus nobilis | Cinnamomum tamala | Syzygium polyanthum | |
Also known as: | sweet bay, sweet laurel | tejpat, tezapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, malabathrum | salam leaf, Syzygium polyanthum, Myrtaceae |
Indian bay leaves are about twice as long as bay laurel leaves as well as wider. They have three veins running the length of the leaf compared to one for the bay laurel. | |||
Taste wise they impart a cinnamon (cassia) bark aroma to dishes, (peppery clove-like aroma?) whereas the bay laurel leaf is more reminiscent of pine and lemon. |