A Brief Discourse on Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs are the things that give the greatest nuances in flavor to foods, and without spices and herbs it would be a dull kitchen indeed. A kitchen spice, generally speaking, is a dried seed, bark, or root. The best-known spices include peppercorns, coriander seeds, ginger root, and the bark of the cinnamon tree.

Herbs include thyme, bay leaf, parsley, tarragon, and dill. All herbs are best when they are fresh, but dried herbs will, and in the vast majority of cases must, do. Two of the most essential herbs are thyme and bay leaf, the “foundation” herbs of French cookery.