I bought what I thought were bay leaves because they were very cheap. Physically speaking, they behave like bay leaves when cooked (they stay hard even when boiled for along time in a stew). But, I get the feeling they do not give a true bay leaf flavor to the food (or perhaps not any flavor at all). The flavor of bay leaves is sufficiently subtle, though, that I cannot be sure without doing a side by side comparison, which I have not yet had the time for. They are a bit curly along the edges, which bay leaves are usually not, but maybe they're just a different variety that I've not encountered before. So, here's the question: are they bay leaves?
Here is a picture of the questionable leaves:
And here is a picture of what I know to be bay leaves:
Best Answer
There are a number of different bay leaves, and the description and picture are consistent with what I've seen called "West Indian" bay leaf.
Regarding price, bay leaves are absurdly expensive at retail... Buying from a local restaurant supplier near me, dried whole bay leaves around $11 a pound and those are not locally grown or processed, just wholesalers.