Definition:

• Herbs are leaves of the plant, they can be fresh or dried.
• Spices are the seeds, flesh, flowers, bark, roots or berries of the plant, they are almost always dried.

Allspice

• Taste like a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Use in pot roasts, stuffings, cakes, biscuits, pies, and relishes.

Anise seed

• Sweet licorice flavor
• Use in cookies, cakes, fruit fillings, and breads, or with cottage cheese, shellfish, and spaghetti dishes.

Basil, sweet

• Mild mint - licorice flavor
• Use in tomato dishes, pesto, sauces, and salad dressings.

Bay leaves

• Woodsy, pleasantly bitter
• Use with meat, fish, poultry, and sauces.

Caraway seed

• The seeds are sharp-tasting and pungent.
• Use in rye breads,cheese dips and rarebits, soups, applesauce, salads, coleslaw, and over pork or sauerkraut.

Cardamom, ground

• Mild ginger flavor
• It can be used in cakes and pastries, curries, jellies, and  sweet potatoes.

Cayenne (red) Pepper

• Blend of hot chile peppers
• Highly pungent. Use sparingly in sauces, soups, curres, stews, and with meat or seafood dishes.

Celery seed

• Tastes like celery.
• Use with vegatables, eggs, meat, fish, and poultry.

Chervil

• Mild parsley flavor
• Use with soups, salads, sauces, egg, fish, veal, lamb, and pork.

Chili peppers, whole and powdered

• Use in Mexican dishes, gravies, stews, scrambled eggs, and with shellfish.

Chives

• delicate onion flavor.
• Related to the onion, chives enliven vegetable dishes, dressings, casseroles, rice eggs, cheese dishes, sauces, gravies, and dips.

Cilantro, fresh

• mild parsley flavor
• Use in soups, salads, curries, and as a garnish.

Cinnamon

• Warm, spicy flavor
• Use ground cinnamon in baked goods, stewed fruits, vegetables, and in spiced teas and coffees.

Cloves

• hot, spicy flavor
• Use in baked goods, curries, baked beans, beef stew, and as a pickling spice.

Coriander seed, whole and ground

• pleasant orange-lemon flavor
• Use with curries, meat pies, sausage, fish, breads, cream or pea soups, and artichokes.

Cumin seed, whole and ground

• fresh salty-sweet flavor, reminds or caraway
• Use whole in yogurt dishes, soups, and breads, or ground in pork, rice, sausage, and chili and curry dishes.

Dill, fresh and seed

• aromatic; sweeter and milder than caraway
• Use seed for pickles and also to add aroma and taste to strong vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and turnips. Fresh is good with green beans, potato dishes, cheese, soups, salads, seafood, and sauces.

Fennel seed

• mild licorice flavor
• Use to flavor pastries, confectionery, sweet pickles, sausages, tomato dishes, soups, and to flavor vinegars and oils. Gives warmth and sweetness to curries.

Fenugreek, ground

• bitterly aromatic flavor
• Use in soups, stews, gravies, or sauces. The seeds can also be used in pickles and chutneys.

Garlic

• pungent, aromatic, mild-to-biting taste raw; mellower cooked
• Use in tomato dishes, garlic bread, soups, dips, sauces, marinates, or with meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables.

Ginger, ground

• sweet, spicy flavor
• Use in pies, pickles, puddings, cookies, cakes, cheese dishes, salad dressings, and soups. An important ingredient in Chinese, Indian, and Arab dishes.

Juniper berries

• bitter-tart taste
• The most popular cooking uses are in sauerkraut dishes and marinades for games. A few berries reduce the wild flavor of game and add a nice tartness to the dish.

Lovage

• lemon-scented celery taste
• It's a great flavoring for soups, stews, and salads dressings. Goes well with potatoes. The seeds can be used on breads and biscuits.

Mace

• has a soft nutmeg flavor
• Use in doughnuts and other baked goods, sauces, with chicken, creamed fish, seafood, and fruits.

Marjoram

• reminiscent of oregano and thyme, it has a delicate, flowery taste
• Excellent in almost any meat, fish, dairy, or vegetable dish that isn't sweet. Add near the end of cooking.

Mint leaves, fresh and dried

• fruity, aromatic taste
• It is common in Middle Eastern dishes. Use with roast lamp or fish, and in salads, jellies, or teas.

Mustard, ground hot

• sharp, hot, spicy flavor
• Use in hot sauces for cocktail meatballs, fried shrimp, ham, corned beef, cold cuts, and hot-dogs. Add a pinch to gingerbread and to cheese sauces.

Mustard seed

• Use for pickling or in tomato or vegetable dishes. Crush in salads and coleslaw, spiced meats, boiled and corned beef, and curries.

Nutmeg

• spicy, sweet taste
• Add to sweet foods, cakes, applesauce, eggnog, soufflés, pies, custards, and in meat and vegetable recipes.

Oregano

• reminiscent of thyme, more pungent than marjoram
• Of Italian origin, its taste is zesty and strong, good in any tomato dish, summer squash and potatoes, mushrooms dishes, beans, or in a marinade for lamb or game.

Paprika

• spicy-sweet flavor
• Use in stews, salad dressings, omelets, and with fish.

Parsley

• sweet, clean flavor
• Use fresh in soups, sauces, and salads.

Pepper, black

• Pepper preserves meat, seasons almost any dish, and aids digestion.

Peppercorns, pink

• light tangy flavor
• Not really a pepper, use on salads, fish and veal.

Peppercorns, white

• less pungent than black pepper
• Use for fish, poultry, and white vegetables.

Poppy seed

• nutlike, sweet flavor
• Good in breads, cakes, pastries, and salad dressings.

Rosemary

• sweet, resinous flavor
• Use for poultry, lamb and tomato dishes, stews, soups, and vegetables.

Saffron

• exotic, bittersweet taste
• Use in rice and seafood dishes. Try it in breads, pastries, cream soups, and sauces.

Sage

• pungent and warm tasting
• Use in cheese dishes, stuffings, soups, pickles, with beans and peas, and in salads.

Salt

• A fundamental flavor enchancer, and preservative.

Savory, summer

• aromatic, peppery taste
• Popular in soups, stews, stuffings, and with fish, chicken, green beans, and eggs.

Sesame seed

• nutlike flavor when toasted
• Use the white seeds in breads, rolls, and cookies. The black seeds are used in Asian cooking to coat meat and fish before cooking and to season rice and noodle dishes.

Star anise

• spicy licorice flavor
• Use in classic Chinese cooking and marinades.

Tarragon

• slightly bitter anise-licorice flavor
• Great with meats, eggs, poultry, seafood, and in salad dressings, marinades, and sauces.

Thyme

• pleasant, pungent clove flavor
• Use in casseroles, stews, soups, ragouts, and with eggs, potatoes, fish, and green vegetables.

Turmeric

• aromatic, mild flavor
• Use with eggs and in chutneys, relishes, pickles, and rice and bean dishes.

Vanilla bean

• sweet, rich taste
• Use in custards, ice cream, pastries, and to flavor sauces.