That single leathery leaf you occasionally find in your soup, it’s called bay.
Bay leaf has a unique and complex taste—hints of clove, pepper, and eucalyptus with a pleasant woody bitterness. It is not poisonous, as many believe, just really hard to chew.
Once bay imparts its subtle flavor to a recipe, the stiff leaf is usually discarded before serving. It can be a choking hazard—especially for children. Cooking softens bay a bit, but it still takes some determined gnawing to break down. In a few unfortunate cases, bay leaf pieces have had to be surgically removed from the intestines….