Eli5: Why are bay leaves used whole, when every other spice is chopped or ground up?

Question

Eli5: Why are bay leaves used whole, when every other spice is chopped or ground up?

In: 4471

Answer 1

*cinnamon stick has entered the chat*

Not ‘every other spice’ is chopped or ground up before use. Either through necessity or just taste preference, plenty of recipes call for various spices to be used whole but then, generally, removed before serving.

It’s due to the strength of the spice in question, the different way it impacts a flavour when used either whole or chopped and, sometimes, purely for presentation purposes.

Bay leaf has a strong flavour when it’s chopped but is far more subtle when used whole so people typically cook with it whole and remove before serving to avoid chewing on a whole hard leaf mid-meal.