What's the difference between an herb and a spice?!


Question:

What's the difference between an herb and a spice?


Answers:
Herbs are the leaves of certain plants, spices are ground seeds or bark.

Herb is a plant leaf, and a spice is a mineral or crushed up seed or some sort of dried plant product.

Herbs are better when used fresh. Spices are good when dried/dehydrated and crushed when used.

An herb is a plant (like basil, oregano, thyme ect) A spice comes from the root or fruit of a plant (like nutmeg, cinnamon, chili ect.)

The Question:
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?

The Answer:
The terms "spice" and "herb" have both been used to describe parts of plants (possibly dried) that are used to enhance the flavor or taste of food. In addition, herbs have been used to augment cosmetics, preserve foods and cure illnesses.

Spices and herbs can consist of flower buds, bark, seeds, leaves or many other parts of a plant. Over time the definitions for spices and herbs have changed a bit. In the past, spices have been categorized as fragrant, aromatic plant products like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. These spices are found in plants grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. While herbs have always been recognized as the more green, leafy products like mint, rosemary and thyme grown in more temperate areas.

But according to the American Spice Trade Association, today spices have become known as "any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes." This all-inclusive definition seems to cover a wide range of plants like herbs, spice seeds and even dehydrated vegetables and spice blends.

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Science Fact Finder | Food and Nutrition | What Is The Difference Between An Herb And A Spice?
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
Spices are aromatic (odorous) seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds, or stems of various plants and trees. Examples of spices are cloves, cumin, and black pepper.

Herbs, on the other hand, usually come from the leafy part of a plant. Examples of herbs are oregano, basil, cilantro, and bay leaves.

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The terms "spice" and "herb" have both been used to describe parts of plants (possibly dried) that are used to enhance the flavor or taste of food. In addition, herbs have been used to augment cosmetics, preserve foods and cure illnesses.

Spices and herbs can consist of flower buds, bark, seeds, leaves or many other parts of a plant. Over time the definitions for spices and herbs have changed a bit. In the past, spices have been categorized as fragrant, aromatic plant products like cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. These spices are found in plants grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. While herbs have always been recognized as the more green, leafy products like mint, rosemary and thyme grown in more temperate areas.

a spice is a seed, and an herb is the leaf

You smoke herbs and use spices to flavor your food

Well, herbs are grown in a garden and spices is a seed. Like pepper. Pepper is a seed and rosmary is an herb.




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