In article ,
Alison o.uk wrote:

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Yes. There are several plants called "bay" and several that look
like Laurus nobilis but aren't. Sweet bay's leaves smell like the
bay leaves you buy for cooking when crushed (only better than dry
ones), because they are :-)

But are they all edible (well cook-withable cos I know you're not supposed
to eat them)? I'm worried now cos my sister has a 'bay' tree and is busy
cooking all sorts of stuff with the leaves infused!

The smell of true bay is pretty distinctive; all of the other ones
I know of smell very different.

In any case, I don't think that any are seriously poisonous, in the
quantities you use bay leaves in cooking.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679