| Herbs are plants grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value. The green, leafy part of the plant is typically used. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant. By contrast, spices are the seeds, berries, bark, root, fruit, or other parts of the plant, even leaves in some cases; although any of these, as well as any edible fruits or vegetables, may be considered "herbs" in medicinal or spiritual use. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that they are used in small amounts and provide flavor (are spices) rather than substance to food. |
| Herb or Spice Source Flavor Best Used Cooking Use
ALLSPICE Berries of the allspice tree Pimenta dioica Like a mix of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon Freshly ground Virtually anything, from salads to desserts ANISE Seeds of the anise plant Pimpinella anisum Sweet, similar to licorice Dried seeds As flavoring in cookies, candies and pastries; also in poultry dishes BASIL Leaves and stems of the basil plant Ocimum basilicum vars Pungent, somewhat sweet Fresh Tomato dishes, with eggplant, for pesto, in Thai and Vietnamese foods, addition to salads and many cooked vegetables BAY Leaves of the sweet bay tree Laurus Nobilis Mild Dried In soups, stews and tomato sauces, and in shellfish boils. Remove leaf before serving BLACK PEPPER Berries of the pepper tree Piper nigrum. Not related to the species of plants that include bell or other types of peppers. Pungent, somewhat hot Dried, freshly ground As condiment, in any dish you wish to make mildly hot BORAGE Leaves and flowers of the borage plant Borago officinalis Mild Fresh Flowers as garnish or in salads; leaves in salads or in herbal tea mixtures. Either can be candied. CAPERS Unopened flower buds from the caperbush Capparis spinosa Pungent Pickled in brine In sauces, as a garnish, and as a flavoring when pickling other foods CARAWAY Seeds of the caraway plant Carum carvi Sweet, nutty Whole Hungarian goulash, cookies and cakes, apple sauce, herbal vinegars CARDAMOM Seeds from the cardamom tree Elettaria cardamomum, a member of the ginger family Sweetly spicy Whole or ground Stews, curries. Use sparingly, as it has a strong taste. CAYENNE PEPPER Ground dried fruit or seeds of the cayenne pepper plant Capiscum annum Fiery hot Dried and ground or fresh and finely chopped Use sparingly -- it's very hot -- in anything you want to taste hot. Warning: as in all hot peppers, the seeds are extremely hot, so wash your hands thoroughly after handling. CELERY SEED Seeds of the celery plant Apium graveolens Strong, pungent celery flavor Dried whole seed As a replacement for celery stalks in cooking; as a flavoring in tomato juice, sauces and soups CHERVIL Leaves and stems of the chervil plant Anthriscus cerefolium Light, similar to parsley Fresh or frozen Flavoring in soups, casseroles, salads, and in omelettes. CHILE POWDER Dried, ground chili peppers Capiscum annum Spicy, hot (heat depends on variety of chili pepper used) Ground In chili or other spicy dishes CHIVES Leaves of the chive plant, a member of the Allium family Sharp, onion or garlic flavor Fresh; frozen if fresh not available Garnish, blended with soft cheeses, added to salads CILANTRO Leaves of the coriander plant Coriandrum sativum Spicy, sweet or hot Fresh In Middle Eastern, southeast Asian, Chines, Latin American and Spanish cuisines; common ingredient in Mexican salsas. CINNAMON Dried bark of the cinnamon tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum Pungently sweet As dried sticks or ground powder In sweet dishes or in curries and stews CLOVES Dried flower bud of the clove tree Syzygium aromaticum Sweet or bittersweet Dried and ground Add to sweet dishes or as a contrast in stews and curries. CORIANDER Seeds of the coriander plant Coriandrum sativum Spicy, sweet or hot Ground or whole In cakes, cookies, breads, as a pickling spice or in curry mixtures CUMIN Seed of the cumin plant Cuminum cyminum Peppery Whole or ground Soups, stews, sauces. Use sparingly. CURRY POWDER Combination of several ground spices Hot Sparingly -- taste the dish in which you're using to gauge heat level Curries |
| DILL Leaves and seeds of the dill plant Anethum graveolens, Anethum sowa Mild, somewhat sour Leaves best fresh; seeds used whole Fish, eggs, potatoes, meats, breads, salads, sauces; dill seed used in pickling and to make dill-flavored vinegar. Seeds of sowa, or Indian dill, used in curry
FENNEL Leaves and stems of the fennel plant Foeniculum vulgare var. Like anise, but sweeter and lighter Raw or cooked In salads (raw), in soups or stews (cooked) FENUGREEK Seeds from the fenugreek plant Trigonella foenumgraecum Sweet, somewhat like burnt honey Whole or ground seed In pastries, as a flavoring for meat dishes and beverages, and to make syrups GARLIC Bulbs of the garlic plant, a member of the Allium family Pungent, onion-like, mildly hot to very hot Fresh; granulated acceptable substitute Roasted, or flavoring for pasta sauces, pork roasts, herb butter, stuffing, and marinades GINGER Roots of the ginger plant Zingiber officinale Mix of pepper and sweetness Dried powder or freshly grated from root Cakes, breads, cookies, as well as Asian dishes GREEN PEPPERCORNS Immature berries of the pepper tree Piper nigrum Mild, slightly sweet Preserved in brine or water-packed In herbal vinegars, in sauces HORSERADISH Roots of the horseradish plant Armoracia lapathifolia Very sharp, similar to mustard Fresh or jarred As condiment, or to flavor fish, beef, sausages, and potato salads LOVAGE Leaves of the lovage plant Levisticum officinale Similar to celery, but stronger Fresh Use as you would celery, in soups, stews, sauces, meat or fish salads MACE Outer covering of the nutmeg seed Similar to nutmeg, but stronger Dried or ground Custards, spice cakes, fruit desserts MARJORAM Leaves of the marjoram plant Origanum majorana Delicate Fresh or dried Soups, stews, marinades. Add at end of cooking to conserve flavor MINT Leaves of the mint plant Menthe spp. Various -- there are more than 30 species of mint Fresh In salads, with vegetables MUSTARD, BROWN Seeds of the mustard plant Brassica juncea; also known as Oriental mustard Pungent, biting, hotter than yellow mustard Whole seed In pickling, as a seasoning, or in preparing Oriental mustard sauces MUSTARD, YELLOW Seeds of the mustard plant Brassica hirta Hot, tangy, less of a bite than brown mustard Powdered or whole seeds Ground, is primary ingredient in American-style prepared mustard; the whole seeds may be used boiled with cabbage, or as a garnish for salads. NUTMEG Seeds of the nutmeg tree Myristica fragans Warm, spicy, sweet Freshly ground In cakes and cookies, in sweet potatoes |
| OREGANO Leaves of the oregano plant Origanum vulgare Similar to marjoram, but not as sweet Fresh or dried In Italian dishes, in chili, with vegetables, soups
PAPRIKA Fruit from a sweet pepper plant Capiscum annum Sweet to hot, somewhat bitter Dried and ground In Hungarian dishes including goulash, in soups, in potato or egg salad PARSLEY Leaves of the parsley plant Petroselinum crispum Mildly peppery Fresh; dried a very poor substitute As a garnish, in sauces, soups and salads POPPY SEED Seeds from the poppy flower Papaver somniferum Nutty Dried, whole In muffins and cakes, salad dressings. ROSEMARY Leaves of the rosemary plant Rosmarinus officinalis Very aromatic, faintly lemony and piney Fresh or dried In meat (especially lamb) or fish dishes and sauces SAFFRON Dried stigmas and upper styles of the saffron crocus Crocus sativus Pungent, aromatic Dried Flavoring and coloring in rice, stews, curries and fish. This is the world's most expensive spice SAGE Leaves of the sage plant Salvia officinalis Musty, slightly bitter Fresh or dried Beef, fish dishes, stews, stuffings; common sausage flavoring SALT Salt mines, seawater Salty Granular Baking, preserving, curing, as a condiment SESAME SEED Seeds of the sesame plant Sesamum indicum Nutty Whole In breads and cookies, in salad dressings STAR ANISE Star-shaped fruit of a tree native to China Illicium verum Very similar to anise Whole In herbal tea mixtures, in chicken or casserole dishes, or use as you would anise SUMMER SAVORY Leaves of the summer savory plant Satureja hortensis Cross between thyme and mint, a bit milder than winter savory Fresh or dried Pates, soups, meat, fish and bean dishes. Use sparingly due to strong taste. TARRAGON Leaves of the French tarragon plant Artemisia dracunculus cv. 'Sativa' Anise-like Fresh or frozen. Russian tarragon is not considered of culinary value. In tartar sauce, as flavoring for cream sauces, in egg dishes and seafood salads THYME Leaves of the thyme plant Thymus vulgaris Minty, lemony Fresh or dried In omelettes, stews, bland soups, and stuffing for chicken, or as flavoring for green salads and cooked vegetables TURMERIC Root of the turmeric plant Curcuma domestica, a tropical plant related to ginger Pungent, somewhat bitter Dried and ground Curries, East Indian recipes. This is also the primary ingredient in American-style ("ballpark") mustard. VANILLA Beans from the vanilla orchid Vanilla planifolia Sweet, highly aromatic Remove seeds from whole, dried beans; or, in extract With coffee, in desserts including ice cream, puddings and cakes WHITE PEPPER Peeled and dried green peppercorns from the pepper tree, Piper nigrum Similar to black peppercorn, but milder Freshly ground As a condiment WINTER SAVORY Leaves of the winter savory plant Satureja montana Combination of thyme and mint Dried or fresh |
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