Herbs and spices reference information
Information for herbs and spices reference in our free herbs and spices resources collection.
Herbs and spices reference
The International Standards Organization (ISO) defines spices and condiments as vegetable products or mixtures thereof, free from extraneous matter, used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foods.
Webster describes spices as any of various aromatic vegetable productions as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, cloves, etc., used in cookery to season and to flavour sauces, pickles, etc; a vegetable condiment or relish, usually in the form of a powder; also, as condiments collectively.
The famous spice author Rosengarten describes a spice as a product which enriches or alters the quality of a thing, for example altering the taste of a food to give it zest or pungency; a piquant or lasting flavouring; or a relish. The term "spice" is thus used to cover the use of spices, herbs and certain aromatic vegetables to impart odour and flavour to foods.
A conventional classification of spices is based on degree of taste as:
- hot spices
- mild spices
- aromatic spices
- herbs and aromatic vegetables
Though the term spice can be used to incorporate herbs, the distinction between herbs and spices can be described as follows:
- Herbs may be defined as the dried leaves of aromatic plants used to impart flavour and odour to foods with, sometimes, the addition of colour. The leaves are commonly traded separately from the plant stems and leaf stalks.
- Spices may be defined as the dried parts of aromatic plants with the exception of the leaves. This definition is wide-ranging and covers virtually all parts of the plant.
Herbs and spices have been used in foods since antiquity. ISO document 676 lists 109 herb and spice plant species useful as ingredients in food. These are shown in the ISO list of plant spices.
| Conventional classification of spices | |
| Classes | Spices |
| Hot spices | Capsicum (chillies), Cayenne pepper, black and white peppers, ginger, mustard |
| Mild spices | Paprika, coriander |
| Aromatic spices | Allspice (pimento), cardamom, cassia, cinnamon, clove, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, mace and nutmeg |
| Herbs | Basil, bay, dill leaves, marjoram, tarragon, thyme |
| Aromatic vegetables | Onion, garlic, shallot, celery |
| Plant organs as spices | |
| Plant organs | Spice crops |
| Aril | Mace of nutmeg |
| Barks | Cassia, cinnamon |
| Berries | Allspice, black pepper, chilli |
| Buds | Clove |
| Bulbs | Onion, garlic, leek |
| Pistil | Saffron |
| Kernel | Nutmeg |
| Leaf | Basil, bay leaf, mint, marjoram, sage, curry leaf |
| Rhizome | Ginger, turmeric |
| Latex | Asafoetida |
| Roots | Angelica, horse-radish |
| Seeds | Ajowan, aniseed, caraway, celery, coriander, dill, fennel, fenugreek, mustard, poppy seed |
- ISO list of plant spices
- The trade in spices
- Spice producing areas
- Spice flavours
- Herbs and spices functional role
- Quality specifications
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