The Rich History of Laurel
Laurel has a long and storied history. The Greek word for laurel is dhafni or “Daphne.” It is named for Daphne, the mountain nymph who escaped the god Apollo’s unwanted amorous pursuit by turning into a laurel tree. Though not exactly a happy ending for Daphne, the moment when she is transformed into a verdant laurel has been immortalized in many works of art, perhaps the most famous of which is a marvelous life-sized marble sculpture by the Baroque artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Apparently, Apollo never really accepted “no” as an answer, and took to wearing a laurel wreath around his head from then on. The priestess of Apollo, the Pythia, was known to chew leaves from a laurel tree growing inside her temple to bring on a trance. In this altered state, she uttered prophecies while shaking a laurel branch. It is said that the oracles of Delphi chewed its leaves and inhaled its smoke to induce visions as well.
A laurel wreath was given as the prize at the Pythian Games, dedicated to Apollo, and later at the Olympics. It became associated with high status and triumph among kings, athletes, poets, and scholars.
This symbolic meaning continued in ancient Rome, where the plant was prized by the ruling class. Its Latin name, laurus nobilis, means “noble praise.” As with the Greeks, the laurel came to symbolize wisdom and glory for the Romans, who crowned scholars, athletes and other heros with laurel wreaths, a practice that persists to the present day. Napoleon crowned himself Emperor using a “laurel wreath” fashioned of solid gold. For many years, a laurel wreath was awarded to the winner of the Grand Prix, although this tradition fell away in the 1980s in deference to ad sponsors who objected to their logos being obscured by laurel’s glossy leaves! Today, laurel wreaths are still worn by graduating students in Italy. The terms “laureate” (“Nobel Laureate,” “Poet Laureate,” “Composer Laureate,” and so on) and “baccalaureate” (literally, “laurel berries”) hearken to these traditions.
It is believed that Rome’s first empress Livia planted a sprig of laurel that grew to become a tree, and then spread into a grove. All subsequent Roman emperors wore laurel wreaths descended from Livia’s original planting. When the entire royal grove suddenly died off shortly before Nero’s assassination, it was seen as an omen presaging the end of the Roman Empire.
Bay Leaf
The bay leaf that we know and use in our kitchen is a descendant of the enormous laurel forests that covered most of the Mediterranean landscape long ago, at a time when the climate was more lush and humid. Though some of these trees still exist in Turkey, Spain, and Portugal, most ancient laurel forests disappeared around ten thousand years ago.
Laurus nobilis is known by many names – bay, laurel, sweet bay, true laurel, laurel tree, and Grecian laurel. Its fragrant leaves are pointed, oval, and shiny, with a hint of gold. In the wild, the bay can grow as tall as ten meters, but typically they reach between one and three meters when cultivated. If in doubt, make sure to check the Latin name, because there are many different kinds of bay plants and not all of them are as pleasant and useful to us as the true laurus nobilis. Some are even poisonous.
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