World Spices

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for the purpose of flavoring.

Many of the same substances have other uses in which they are referred to by different terms, e. g. in food preservation, medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, perfumery or as vegetables. For example, turmeric is also used as a preservative; licorice as a medicine; garlic as a vegetable and nutmeg as a recreational drug.

Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring purposes. Herbs, such as basil or oregano, may be used fresh; spices, however, are dried.

History

Spices have been prominent in human history virtually since its inception. Spices were some of the most valuable items of trade in the ancient and medieval world. In the story of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to spice merchants. In the biblical poem Song of Solomon, the male speaker compares his beloved to many forms of spices.

Spices were the primary reason that Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama sailed to India. Around that same time, when Christopher Columbus happened upon the New World, he was quick to describe to investors the many new spices available there.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on Spice

Herbs

A herb (see also pronunciation differences) is a plant 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, 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.

Botanical definitions

In botany, a herb is a plant that does not produce a woody stem, and in temperate climates usually dies, either completely (annual herb) or back to the roots (perennial herb), at the end of the growing season. Examples include bulbs, Peonies, Hosta, grasses and Banana.

The term herbaceous means either having the characteristic of a herb or being leaf-like in color and texture. A related term from American English is forb, which means a non-woody plant that is not a grass and is not grass-like. This means that the term forb excludes sedges (Cyperaceae) and rushes (Juncaceae) along with true grasses (Poaceae). Non-herbaceous plants are woody plants which have stems above ground that remain alive during winter and grow shoots the next year, such as trees, shrubs, and woody vines.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on Herbs

Allspice Aloe Ambrosia Herbs Amchur (mango powder) Angelica (Angelica archangelica) Anise Annatto Apple Mint Arrowroot Artemisia vulgaris Asafoetida Asarum europaeum Ashwagandha Australian desert raisin Bacopa monnieri Balm of Gilead Barberry (Berberis) Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Bay Laurel Bay leaves Bergamot (Monarda didyma) Bison grass (Hierochloe odorata) Bistort (Persicaria bistorta) Bitters Black cardamom Black limes Pepper (black, white, and green) Blue Cohosh Bog Labrador Tea Boldo Bolivian Coriander (Porophyllum ruderale) Boneset (Eupatorium) Borage (Borago officinalis) Camomile - German Chamomile Camomile - Roman Chamomile Candle nut Caper (Capparis spinosa) Caraway Cardamom Carob Pod Catsear Cayenne pepper Celery (Celery seed) Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) Chili powder Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) Cinnamon Cloves Coriander Cumin Curry powder Dill (Anethum graveolens) Echinacea Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Five-spice powder (Chinese) Garam masala Garden cress Garlic Garlic chives Geum Herbes de Provence Horseradish Jamaican jerk spice Juniper Land cress Lavender (Lavandula spp.) Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) Lemon Basil Lemon mint Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) Licorice Long pepper Lovage (Levisticum officinale) Marjoram (Origanum majorana) Mint (Mentha spp.) Mustard Mustard seed Nepeta (Catnip) Nutmeg (and Mace) Oenothera Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Paprika Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Peppermint Pineapple weed Poppy seed Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Saffron Sage Sichuan pepper Star anise Tamarind Tandoori masala Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) Thyme Turmeric Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) Watercress