Racing for one’s laurels

As Kiwis fly along the racetracks and compete on the world stage at the XXX Olympiad in London, rather than rest on the team’s laurels, Garden-NZ thought we’d take a closer look at some for ourselves.

Featuring pale yellowish flowers, small black berries and, of course, their renowned bay leaves, the Grecian laurel (Laurus nobilis), or bay laurel has become a widely recognised symbol for victory.

Not surprisingly, much like the games, it is a native of the Mediterranean region. Since ancient times, however, the laurel has not lingered and the bay has gone a long way with laurels now cultivated in temperate climates worldwide.

Much as victories in the sporting arena can forever be remembered, the evergreen laurel will not fade. Ranging in height from roughly 10-18 metres, laurels are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants; unlike some athletes in the history of the games who have proved to be more ‘Arthur’ than ‘Martha’ on close examination!

These days, competitors go for gold; but the ancient Greeks and Romans saw laurel leaves as the prize which truly represented a test of an athlete’s metal. That said, despite the amateur ideals of the early modern Olympics, ancient champions could expect a fair share of ‘lettuce’ in addition to their humble leafy crowns, as very real financial benefits were associated with a place on the podium.

Get thee for the Greek!

Laurels were incorporated into Olympic wreathes in honour of Apollo, the Greek god of light, the sun, truth, healing and much more; he was a very busy boy! The story of how laurel leaves came to symbolise Apollo goes something like this:

Eros – the god of love – was playing with a bow and arrows when Apollo, who was a powerful warrior spotted him. He chastised the effeminate youngster by saying that such weapons should be left to stronger hands to hold.

In response, Eros shot a nymph named Daphne with an arrow designed to incite hatred, and Apollo with another to inspire love. That’s right, with Apollo ‘shot through the heart’, the ‘good and jovial’ Eros ‘gave love a bad name, bad name’! Apollo fell head over heels for the delightful nymph who, while she was Daphne, wasn’t daffy about Apollo or his programme of love!

To stop Apollo’s amorous advances, Daphne appealed to her father, Peneus, who turned his daughter into a laurel tree. Apollo may have been after a wife, but he was almost as happy to get wood instead and decided to care for and tend the ill-fated Daphne. As a present for his bride, Apollo gave her the gift of eternal youth, which is why, thought the Greeks, the laurel remains evergreen.

A winning flavour

When it comes to getting a little ‘racy’ in the kitchen, many a gardener will take a leaf out of the Camptown Races’ book and ‘bet on the bay’! Fresh or dried, crushed or whole, as a spice or garnish (removed before eating), bay leaves are commonly used to infuse flavour into a wide variety of dishes from soups and stews to seafood, vegetables and meat.

From classic French fare to Indian kitchen creativity, bay leaves – as with laurel wreathes – have been proudly worn by the best from many nations.   

And still others rely on bay leaves for their medicinal properties. Since ancient times, they have been used to treat, prevent or relieve conditions including arthritis, rheumatism, earaches, rashes, blood pressure and even melanoma skin cancer.

However, as leaves of some members of the laurel family can be poisonous, those intending to use these leaves in such a way should first… consult a ‘Doc on the bay’, or at least a professional from their local garden centre.

In the meantime, good luck to the 185 Kiwis taking on the world in London; you're as good as gold to us!