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Bay leaf

Fresh bay leaves are shiny and dark green on top with lighter undersides. They can be used fresh and dried. Bay leaves have a bitter or peppery flavor.
5%
Water
 82
Macronutrient carbohydrates 82.44%
/08
Macronutrient proteins 8.37%
/09
Macronutrient fats 9.19%
 

The three ratios show the percentage by weight of macronutrients (carbohydrates / proteins / fats) of the dry matter (excl. water).

Ω-6 (LA, 1.2g)
Omega-6 fatty acid such as linoleic acid (LA)
 : Ω-3 (ALA, 1.1g)
Omega-3 fatty acid such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
 = 1:1

Omega-6 ratio to omega-3 fatty acids should not exceed a total of 5:1. Link to explanation.

Here, essential linolenic acid (LA) 1.24 g to essential alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) 1.05 g = 1.18:1.
Ratio Total omega-6 = 1.24 g to omega-3 fatty acids Total = 1.05 g = 1.18:1.
On average, we need about 2 g of LA and ALA per day from which a healthy body also produces EPA and DHA, etc.

Bay leaves are often used to season game dishes, stews, and sauces. The bitter substances are more pronounced when the leaves are used fresh than dried, and as a result dishes seasoned with fresh bay leaves have more of this herb’s characteristic flavor. Although bay leaves are not poisonous themselves, there are similar-looking plants such as the cherry laurel that are indeed toxic.

General information:

From Wikipedia: “Bay leaf (plural bay leaves) refers to the aromatic leaves of several plants used in cooking. These include:

  • Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae). Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves should be removed from the cooked food before eating (see Safety section below). The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, braises and pâtés in Mediterranean cuisine and beans in Brazilian cuisine. The fresh leaves are very mild and do not develop their full flavor until several weeks after picking and drying.
  • California bay leaf – the leaf of the California bay tree (Umbellularia californica, Lauraceae), also known as California laurel, Oregon myrtle, and pepperwood, is similar to the Mediterranean bay laurel, but has a stronger flavor.
  • Indian bay leaf or malabathrum (Cinnamomum tamala, Lauraceae) is somewhat similar in appearance to the leaves of bay laurel, but is culinarily quite different, having a fragrance and taste similar to cinnamon (cassia) bark, but milder.
  • Indonesian bay leaf or Indonesian laurel (salam leaf, Syzygium polyanthum, Myrtaceae) is not commonly found outside of Indonesia; this herb is applied to meat and, less often vegetables.
  • West Indian bay leaf, the leaf of the West Indian bay tree (Pimenta racemosa, Myrtaceae), used culinarily and to produce the cologne called bay rum.
  • Mexican bay leaf (Litsea glaucescens, Lauraceae).”

Taste and aroma:

If eaten whole, bay leaves (Laurus nobilis) are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste. As with many spices and flavorings, the fragrance of the bay leaf is more noticeable than its taste. When dried, the fragrance is herbal, slightly floral, and somewhat similar to oregano and thyme. Myrcene, which is a component of many essential oils used in perfumery, can be extracted from the bay leaf. They also contain the essential oil eugenol.”

Culinary uses:

In Indian and Pakistani cuisine, bay laurel leaves are sometimes used in place of Indian bay leaf, although they have a different flavor. They are most often used in rice dishes like biryani and as an ingredient in garam masala. Bay (laurel) leaves are frequently packaged as tejpatta (the Hindi term for Indian bay leaf), creating confusion between the two herbs.

In the Philippines, dried bay laurel leaves are added as a spice in the Filipino dish Adobo.

Bay leaves were used for flavoring by the ancient Greeks. They are a fixture in the cooking of many European cuisines (particularly those of the Mediterranean), as well as in the Americas. They are used in soups, stews, meat, seafood, vegetable dishes, and sauces. The leaves also flavor many classic French dishes. The leaves are most often used whole (sometimes in a bouquet garni) and removed before serving (they can be abrasive in the digestive tract). Thai cuisine employs bay leaf (Thai name bai kra wan) in a few Arab-influenced dishes, notably massaman curry.

Bay leaves can also be crushed or ground before cooking. Crushed bay leaves impart more fragrance than whole leaves, but are more difficult to remove, and thus they are often used in a muslin bag or tea infuser. Ground bay laurel may be substituted for whole leaves, and does not need to be removed, but it is much stronger.”

Natural pest repellent:

“Bay leaves can also be used scattered in a pantry to repel meal moths, flies, cockroaches, mice, and silverfish.

Bay leaves have been used in entomology as the active ingredient in killing jars. The crushed, fresh, young leaves are put into the jar under a layer of paper. The vapors they release kill insects slowly but effectively, and keep the specimens relaxed and easy to mount. The leaves discourage the growing of molds. They are not effective for killing large beetles and similar specimens, but insects that have been killed in a cyanide killing jar can be transferred to a laurel jar to await mounting. There is confusion in the literature about whether Laurus nobilis is a source of cyanide to any practical extent, but there is no evidence that cyanide is relevant to its value in killing jars. It certainly is rich in various essential oil components that could incapacitate insects in high concentrations; such compounds include 1,8-cineole, alpha-terpinyl acetate, and methyl eugenol. It also is unclear to what extent the alleged effect of cyanide released by the crushed leaves has been mis-attributed to Laurus nobilis in confusion with the unrelated Prunus laurocerasus, the so-called cherry laurel, which certainly does contain dangerous concentrations of cyanogenic glycocides together with the enzymes to generate the hydrogen cyanide from the glycocides if the leaf is physically damaged.

Safety:

“Some members of the laurel family, as well as the unrelated but visually similar mountain laurel and cherry laurel, have leaves that are poisonous to humans and livestock. While these plants are not sold anywhere for culinary use, their visual similarity to bay leaves has led to the oft-repeated belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they are poisonous. This is not true — bay leaves may be eaten without toxic effect. However, they remain unpleasantly stiff even after thorough cooking, and if swallowed whole or in large pieces, they may pose a risk of harming the digestive tract or causing choking. There have been cases of intestinal perforations caused by swallowing bay leaves, so unless the leaves in the recipe have been ground they should be removed from the food before serving; otherwise the risk of a surgical emergency remains. Thus, most recipes that use bay leaves will recommend their removal after the cooking process has finished.”

Nutrient tables

The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.

Nutritional Information
per 100g 2000 kcal

The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe.

A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance.

Energy 313 kcal
1'310 kJ
15.6%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal
Fat/Lipids 8.4 g11.9%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g
Saturated Fats 2.3 g11.4%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) 75 g27.8%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g
Sugars n/a
Fiber 26 g105.2%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g
Protein/Albumin 7.6 g15.2%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g
Cooking Salt (Na:23.0 mg)58 mg2.4%
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g
Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA.
Fat/Lipids
Carbohydrates
Protein/Albumin
Cooking Salt

Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions per 100g 2000 kcal
MinManganese, Mn 8.2 mg408.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg
MinIron, Fe 43 mg307.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg
VitVitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 1.7 mg124.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg
ElemCalcium, Ca 834 mg104.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg
VitFolate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and 180 µg90.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg
VitVitamin C (ascorbic acid) 46 mg58.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg
FatAlpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 1.0 g53.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g
MinCopper, Cu 0.42 mg42.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg
VitVitamin A, as RAE 309 µg39.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg
MinZinc, Zn 3.7 mg37.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg

Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g

Explanations of nutrient tables in general

The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.

If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.

For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.

Essential fatty acids per 100g 2000 kcal

The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe.

A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance.

Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 1.0 g53.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 1.2 g12.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g

Vitamins per 100g 2000 kcal

The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe.

A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 1.7 mg124.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and 180 µg90.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 46 mg58.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg
Vitamin A, as RAE 309 µg39.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) 0.42 mg30.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg
Niacin (née vitamin B3) 2.0 mg13.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg
Thiamine (vitamin B1) 0.01 mg1.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg
Vitamin D 0 µg< 0.1%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg

Essential macroelements (macronutrients) per 100g 2000 kcal

The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe.

A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance.

Calcium, Ca 834 mg104.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg
Magnesium, Mg 120 mg32.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg
Potassium, K 529 mg26.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg
Phosphorus, P 113 mg16.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg
Sodium, Na 23 mg3.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg

Essential trace elements (micronutrients) per 100g 2000 kcal

The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe.

A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance.

Manganese, Mn 8.2 mg408.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg
Iron, Fe 43 mg307.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg
Copper, Cu 0.42 mg42.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg
Zinc, Zn 3.7 mg37.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg
Selenium, Se 2.8 µg5.0%
Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 55 µg

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