Drying: Spices and Herbs

Hard spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg are little altered by the small amount of drying necessary to preserve them. Drying may bring about a desirable change in flavour, as in pepper, where the pungency increases.

Among herbs, woody types such as rosemary and thyme stand up to drying well; slightly more fleshy plants such as marjoram and sage reasonably well; and fleshy moist ones like mint not very well. Worst is probably basil which, however carefully dried, loses the ‘top notes’ of its fragrance and has little virtue left.