In article wttWi.168182$th2.145774@pd7urf3no,
"graham" writes:
| "Sacha" wrote in message
| . uk...
| On 1/11/07 20:40, in article
|
| I hope not Sacha, as I use any old bay for boeuf stews. (About the
| only thing I can cook)
|
| Sounds a bit like the purist difference between Russian and French
| tarragon then?
|
| No!!!! I've grown the Russian variety (from seed) and it is absolutely
| tasteless and odourless. I have the French variety growing now. Poulard à
| l'estragon - glorious!!

Er, not quite. It seems that the difference is more complicated than
that, and it is unclear whether "Russian" versus "French" tarragon is
different varieties or different growth (as normal ivy versus tree
ivy). Tarragon does vary between tasteless and strongly flavoured,
but the cause of the difference is, I believe, unknown. In particular,
"Russian" tarragon can develop into "French" tarragon after some years
of growth, and "French" tarragon can revert to "Russian" tarragon.
I tried chasing this issue down some years back, and eventually gave
up.

The difference between true (Grecian) bay, Californian bay and most
others is that they are unrelated plants with similar appearances and
tastes. The similarity of appearance is not surprising, as it is a
very common one for dry-terrain shrubs. True bay is Laurus nobilis,
Californian bay is Umbellularia californica, and there are others.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.