Using Spices for Flavorful Meals

Full of flavor, spices come mostly from tropical lands, while herbs grow in more moderate climates. They may even grow in your own backyard or window box. Spices and herbs add two important ingredients to dishes: aroma and taste. They make food taste good and smell wonderful, and they can enhance the visual appeal of your meals as well.

What's the Difference Between Herbs and Spices?

• Herbs are the leaves of plants and are used either fresh or dried.

• Spices are the aromatic buds, fruits, berries, roots, or bark of plants and are usually dried.

• One plant may produce both an herb and a spice. For example: Coriander seeds are a spice used in curries and chili powder; the leaves of the same plant are known as cilantro, an herb often used in Mexican and Asian cooking.

Add the Flair of Seasonings to Your Food

When you start adding herbs and spices, you may be amazed at what you've been missing. Here are just three of the advantages spices and herbs have over salt.

• Spices and herbs can be used alone or in combinations to provide an almost infinite variety of flavors, while salt is only one seasoning.

• Spices and herbs add two important ingredients to dishes: aroma and taste. They make food taste good and smell wonderful, and they may enhance the visual appeal of your meals as well.

• You can grow many of your own herbs in your garden or in a window box in your kitchen. It's a sure way to add the freshest flavors possible to your food.