Bay leaf vs rosemary
Two resinous Mediterranean leaves whose dried form holds up well, and both scale badly — three leaves of either makes a cup taste like a medicine cabinet smells.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Bay leaf | Rosemary |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh or dried | Unusually, drying improves it. Fresh bay is harsher and slightly bitter. | Both are used, and dried is more concentrated than fresh by a wide margin. |
| Flavour | Resinous with a clove-like warmth underneath and a firm bitterness. | Pine and camphor, sharper and more aggressive than bay. |
| As a drink | Brewed in Turkey and the Levant, usually with lemon. | Brewed across the Mediterranean, usually as one component of a mixed infusion. |
| Quantity | Two leaves is a pot. Three is too many. | A short sprig. It is easily the more dominant of the two. |
| Confusion risk | California bay is a different species and much more aggressive at the same quantity. | Little confusion, though quality varies enormously with drying temperature. |
The short answer
Bay is the more forgiving of the two in a drink and rosemary the more assertive. Both belong in a mixed infusion rather than alone unless you specifically want that resinous character.
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