Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs are a part of every kitchen and culinary dishes.



Various spices and herbs, such as black pepper, cumin seeds, basil, dill, cloves, ginger, cilantro, chili pepper and cinnamon are added. Spices were traded, especially in the olden days, instead of money. Spice trade was carried out by the elite too. Spices and herbs are also used as preservatives and part of medications. Use of herbs and spices restrict the intake of fat and salt in your diet.



A liberal addition of herbs in a salad cuts down on the extra salt.

Around 2.3 grams of sodium is present in a teaspoon of salt, which is the recommended amount per day. Calories and fat during the process of cooking is reduced. Cost effective meals with an inexpensive dressing helps. Herbs and spices contain negligible calories and are devoid of sodium.



The inner beauty of an unsalted food is brought out by herbs and spices. Many of these herbs exhibit anti inflammatory property. For example gingerol, a chemical component of ginger helps in reducing inflammation and improves mobility in individuals suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Spices are consumed, either in the whole or grounded form. In the case of pepper, cumin seeds and so on, crushed forms are also seen in the market. Spices can be flowers (cloves), bark (cinnamon), berry (pepper), root (garlic, ginger), fruit (paprika, allspice) and seeds (poppy, mustard).Herbs are primarily used for culinary purposes in the form of leaves. They are used in the dry or fresh form. Dried forms are available as ground, whole or crushed form. Dehydrated vegetable seasonings are seen, like garlic, mint and pepper.

Condiments are the blend of herbs and spices in a liquid state with the presence of sodium.  Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, certain vinegars, catsup are typical examples. Spices and herbs retain their freshness and flavor in their whole form, in comparison to the ground or crushed form. Herbs and spices are crushed using a mixer, rolling pin or pestle and mortar. Shelf life of these depends on the storage safety. Aroma from certain foods, such as mustard seeds are difficult to detect.

Crushing reduces the flavor of the spice.



Herbs and spices packed in smaller containers retain freshness, as the repeated opening of bigger packets, might result in loss of flavor. Air tight containers are beneficial and keeping away from heat source is vital. Whole spices stay fresh for as long as 2 to 5 years, under favorable conditions.