Bay Leaves

I am so fond of using bay leaves in my rice and soups, it makes such a difference. 

The laurel tree that the bay leaf comes from was very important both symbolically and literally in both Greece and Rome. Bay leaves can also be scattered in a pantry to repel meal moths, flies and roaches. The Romanies would place a dried Bay Leaf underneath their pillow on St. Valentine's Day. It was believed that the leaf would cause the user to dream of his or her future marriage partner. In the Middle Ages, bay leaves were believed to induce abortions and to have many magical qualities.