Cinnamomum tamala
Species of tree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, also known as tejpat,[4] tejapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark,[4] Indian cassia,[4] or malabathrum, is a tree in the family Lauraceae that is native to northern India (Assam and the Western Himalayas), Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and southwestern China.[5][4] It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall.[6] Its leaves have a clove-like aroma with a hint of peppery taste; they are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is thought to have been one of the major sources of the medicinal plant leaves known in classic and medieval times as malabathrum (or malobathrum).[7]
| Indian bay leaf | |
|---|---|
| |
| Semi-dried Indian bay leaves | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Cinnamomum |
| Species: | C. tamala |
| Binomial name | |
| Cinnamomum tamala | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Characteristics
The leaves, known as tējapattā or tejpattā (तेजपत्ता) in Hindi, tejpāt (तेजपात/তেজপাত) in Nepali, Maithili, and Assamese, tejpātā (তেজপাতা) in Bengali, vazhanayila/edanayila (വഴനയില/എടനഇല) in Malayalam, kaḍu dhālchini (kn:ಕಾಡು ದಾಲ್ಚಿನ್ನಿ) in Kannada, tamalpatra (તમલપત્ર) in Gujarati, and tamālpatra (तमालपत्र) in Marathi and in original Sanskrit, are used extensively in the cuisines of India, Nepal, and Bhutan, particularly in the Mughlai cuisine of North India and Nepal and in tsheringma herbal tea in Bhutan. They are called biryāni āku/baghāra āku (బిర్యానీ ఆకు/బగార ఆకు) in Telugu and tejåpåtrå/tejåpåtårå (ତେଜପତ୍ର/ତେଜପତର) in Odia.
The Lepcha of Sikkim call them naap saor koong.[8]
They are often used in kumbilappam or chakka-ada (ചക്ക അട), an authentic sweet from Kerala, infusing their characteristic flavor to the dumplings.[citation needed] They are often labeled[by whom?] as "Indian bay leaves", or just "bay leaf", causing confusion with the leaf from the bay laurel, a tree of Mediterranean origin in a different genus; the appearance and aroma of the two are quite different. Bay laurel leaves are shorter and light- to medium-green in color, with one large vein down the length of the leaf, while tejpat leaves are about twice as long and wider, usually olive green in color, with three veins down the length of the leaf.[citation needed] There are five types of tejpat leaves[9] and they impart a strong cassia- or cinnamon-like aroma to dishes, while the bay laurel leaf's aroma is more reminiscent of pine and lemon[citation needed].
Aroma attributes
- Beta-caryophyllene[10]
- Linalool[10]
- Caryophyllene oxide[citation needed]
- Eugenol[11][12]
Uses
The bark is sometimes used for cooking,[citation needed] although it is regarded[by whom?] as inferior to true cinnamon or cassia.
Etymology
Malabar had been traditionally used to denote the west coast of Southern India that forms the present-day state of Kerala and adjoining areas. The word mala or malaya means "mountain" in the Tamil and Malayalam languages, as also in Sanskrit. The word "malabathrum" is thought to have been derived from the Sanskrit tamālapattram (तमालपत्त्रम्), literally meaning "dark-tree leaves".
