Lavr the Noble
Laurus nobilis.
Evergreen subtropical shrub, cultivated in warm countries with a coastal climate, mainly in Italy, Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia, France, Spain, Portugal and southern regions of Russia. The leaves and twigs of the laurel have long been a symbol of victory, ate-
you and greatness. Wreaths intertwined with them, decorated with heads of statues of gods, winners in wars and sports tournaments, poets, scientists, prophets, singers and statesmen. The use and cultivation of the laurel was extended by the ancient Greeks and Romans, who treated him with great respect.
Description: Leaves are relatively hard, leathery, elongated, from lanceolate to oval. Their length is 10-50 mm, width - 20-50 mm. Edges of leaves slightly raised, wavy. The upper side of the leaves is darker than the lower one. Laurel - a dioecious plant, blooms in April with white, yellow and even bluish-red flowers, the fruits are unimaginative berries the size of a cherry. The leaves have a spicy aroma.
Ingredients: essential oils, tannins and bitterness, which give the laurel a typical taste.
Cultivation: laurel requires fertile, well-cultivated soil, sufficient moisture and sun. It is grown in greenhouses and is well known as a decorative shrub that withstands a curly hairstyle. You can grow in tubs, providing abundant watering during the year, except for winter months. It is necessary to protect the laurel from frost, wrapping it for the winter or transferring the tub to a frost-protected room.
Collection: leaves are harvested after 2 years in autumn, dried in the shade, scattered in a thin layer. Properly dried leaves should remain whole, elastic and light green, without greyish coating.
Leaves and sprouts of laurel can be eaten fresh.
Medicinal properties: bay leaves cause appetite and promote digestion. The oil obtained from the laurel fruit is used to normalize the blood circulation.
Application: The bay leaf has a slightly aromatic spicy smell and a bitter taste. Its advantage is that even with prolonged and improper storage, it does not lose substantially its qualities. Store the bay leaves in a closed, preferably opaque, container. As a spice is used a sheet or powder from it. The laurel
leaf is used in almost all dishes, for canning vegetables, cooking game and various kinds of roasted meat. Especially well it harmonizes with pickled cucumbers, beets, beans and cabbage. You can add it to the mushrooms. The bay leaf is added when cooking game with sour cream, cooking fish, preparing various marinades and sauce based on meat broth, potato soup and cooking crabs, crayfish, herring and marinades for fish. The bay leaf gives a pleasant taste to the jelly, goulash, sauces. However, do not add more than 1 sheet to 4 servings of the dish, it is better to use it in smaller quantities. The bay leaf gives a more delicate taste to all salty dishes.