A reader left a voicemail saying she had recently been served bay leaves in several dishes at restaurants. This worried her because she had heard the leaves were poisonous.
The reader is partly correct. Bay leaves are from the laurel family of plants - and some varieties of laurel are poisonous. It is not a good idea to try to cook with the decorative laurel plant in your garden without making sure that it is an edible variety. But it is safe to assume that the bay laurel you purchase at a reputable food shop isn't going to poison anybody unless they are allergic to it. Eating the bay leaf is said to have a mildly narcotic effect, but because the leaves are so tough, you would probably choke to death before getting high.
The aromatic leaves of the bay leaf are bright green and glossy when fresh. Wreaths of the laurel were once used to honour winners of the Olympic Games before the advent of gold, silver and bronze medals and multi-million dollar sponsorship deals. Unless you grow your own though, you have probably only seen the dried leaves, which range in colour between a pale khaki to dusty brown.
Bay leaves are fragrant and strongly flavoured unless, like most dried herbs, they are old. When buying dried bay leaf, look for greener colours (a brownish tinge indicates it is too old) and semi-pliable leaves. Different varieties of bay leaf are grown in Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe and California.
Bay leaves are used much more commonly than the reader may realise, because the leaf is usually removed before the dish is served. Bay leaves are good in simmered or boiled dishes, where long cooking can extract the savoury, slightly bitter flavour. When cooking legumes, add one or two bay leaves (depending on size) and a couple of cloves of unpeeled garlic to the pot, then discard these aromatics when the legumes are tender. The leaves also add depth to the flavour of meat stews, soups, and sauces and marinades for roasts. They are even used in sweet dishes, most often simmered into a sugar syrup or infused in milk.
In all dishes, they should be used sparingly because their strong flavour can be overwhelming. The leaves are often used in spice and herb mixes, and when recipes call for a bouquet garni (fresh mixed herbs tied in a bouquet) it usually means bay leaf, thyme and parsley.