Herbs and Herb Leaves Flavor Foods and Beverages

by Naomi Gallagher

Seasoning foods and beverages means the addition of some flavorful or aromatic substance to enhance the taste and smell. Sweet, cooling, pungent, hot and sour tastes are among the flavors that herbs and spices may impart to foods.

Besides enhancing the flavor and aroma the addition of herbs and spices may make the meal more digestible. Aromatic compounds found in these culinary plants have properties that aid digestion. These herbs and spices have been used for centuries in traditional or folk medicine for many maladies.

The term 'herb' is reserved for the fresh green leaves of certain plants that are used in cooking. If another part of the plant is used to season the dish, it's called a spice. Spices may be the seeds, fruits, flower parts, stems, roots or bulbs of aromatic plants.

The terms spice and herb are often used interchangeably as some plants provide both a herb and a spice. Some plants are used as a vegetable as well as a seasoning. A prime example is celery. The celery stalks that we eat as a vegetable or snack are the leaf stems, called petioles. A cultivated variety, called celeriac, has a bulbous root that is used as a root vegetable. Celery leaves (the herb) are eaten fresh in salads and sandwiches and they're used to flavor soup stocks and cooked meats. Celery seed (the spice) is used to flavor mayonnaise-based salads, pickles and soups. Celery salt is the ground seeds plus salt and it's used to season rice dishes, vegetables, pasta and meat dishes.

Herbs and Herb Leaves

Herbs are the fresh green leaves of plants. As the plant material dries on exposure to warmth, air and light, its aromatic qualities will diminish. Use herbs while they're still fresh and purchase them from a market with rapid turnover and only in small amounts.

• Chamomile
• Chervil
• Chives
• Dill Weed
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Lemongrass
• Marjoram
• Parsley
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Savory
• Spearmint
• Tarragon
• Thyme

Some herbs are used more often in certain ethnic cuisines and may not be available at your local grocer, for example, lemon grass or fresh chervil. Health food stores and ethnic markets may have the best selection of herbs. Alternatively, all the exotic herbs and seasonings can be purchased through Richters Herbs, Suttons Bay, Mountain Rose Herbs and MySpiceSage. For comparison purposes see the hundreds of gourmet herbs and spices and their prices at Amazon.