On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 19:49:15 +0100, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:
On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:31:01 +0100, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

It sounds like you have laurel - you'd know from the smell of it if it
were bay. Bay (surprisingly) smells of bay-leaves, and laurel a bit like
bitter almonds, due to the prussic acid content.

So, if you wish to avoid cyanide poisoning, don't use laurel as a
flavouring...


Not nearly enough cyanide to be dangerous. A couple of elderly
spinsters who lived near us when I was a child always used laurel
leaves to give an almond flavour to their rice puddings.

Are you sure they weren't widows?

Actually, IIRC, HCN is broken down or driven off in cooking.

Not all of it, as there wouldn't be any flavour left.

Do you eat almonds?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net