Spices

Spices are seeds, roots, rhizomes, bark, and other plant parts, except for the leaves, that are used for flavoring. The leaves of plants are known as herbs. Southeast Asian cooks tend to use whole spices, like cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and whole peppercorns, rather than the preground spices that are common in the U.S. Each spice is usually dry roasted before use to maximize the aroma and potency. This dry-roasting process, embraced by more and more Western chefs, actually changes the way spices taste.