LAUREL/DAPHNE

Scintific Latin name

Laurus nobilis

Vulgar name in mother languages

Ereinotza (Basque)

Laurel (English)

Laurel (Spanish)

Classical authors (Latin and

Greek)who mentioned the plant in
their books

Homeo Odisea IX 186

Hesodo Teog. XXX ; Trab y das 435 ss

Pausanias VIII 20,2

Teofrasto II 1,3; II 5,6 ; III 7,3; IV 13,7

Virgilio 45-55

Ovideo Met. I 452-600

Dioscrides 1,78; I 40

Plinio XVIII 152-157; XV 130,134,137 ; XXIV

132

Homeo Odisea IX 186

,

,

TRANSLATION
But when we had reached the place, which
lay close at hand, there on the land's edge
hard by the sea we saw a high cave, roofed
over with laurels, and there many flocks,
sheep and goats alike, were wont to sleep.
Round about it [185] a high court was built
with stones set deep in the earth, and with tall
pines and high-crested oaks

Drawing of plant

Mythological symbolism of the plant

Daphne was a beautiful Nymph who

loved to hunt. She was created by the
Titaness Gaea (the Mother Earth in
Ancient Grecee) and the god of the
Rivers, Peneus.
Daphne was the firts love of Greek god
Apollo. When Apollo saw Daphne for
the first time, he got struck by the
arrows of Eros and madly fell in love
with her. However, Daphne was rather
indifferent to Apollo and tried to flee.
But Apollo didnt want to give up. So he
set up in pursiut of Daphne, until finally
he caught her and folded her in his
arms. Full of disappeared of the face of
the earth.
On the spot Daphne was seen for the
last time, a fragrant plant, the secreted
laurel tree, grew in Daphne s honor.
From then on the laurel tree became
the symbol of Apollo and he was often
depicted with laurel leaves on his

Uses of the plant

We can use as a culinary

herb, bay leaf is best
known as an ingredient in
the French seasoning
mixture known as
bouquet garni. Lurel is
also featured in Spanish,
Italian, and Creole
cooking where it is
commonly added to flavor
fish and shellfish dishes,
such as bouillabaisse. It is
also an excellent addition
to many soups, stews,
sauces, and pickling
brines.

Threats and singultarity

A persistent belief that bay leaf must be removed from a dish due to being poisonous stems fro