by Kay Kitchens (a Cancer Project & PCRM instructor in North Texas)

Whether you grow your own herbs, buy them fresh from the grocery or use the dried variety – herbs can make any recipe special.  Almost every recipe you try will have one or more herbs or spices as an ingredient to add special flavor.  So what is the difference in a spice and an herb?

Herbs are leaves of low-growing shrubs such as parsley, chives, marjoram, basil, caraway, coriander (cilantro), thyme, rosemary, sage, caraway and oregano.  They can be fresh or dried.

Spices come from the root (ginger, horseradish, wasabi, onion, garlic), bark (cinnamon) or buds (cloves, saffron), seeds (yellow mustard, cumin, sesame, poppy), berry (black pepper) or the fruit (allspice, paprika).

It is important to use herbs and spices that complement the flavor of the dish you are preparing.  It is also important to use spices and herbs that you enjoy eating.  One way of ensuring that the herb you will be using is pleasing to you is to take a clean leaf of the herb and chew it but don’t swallow.  You will experience the pure taste of the herb and decide if it is the flavor you wish to add to your recipe.  If you are using a dried seasoning, sprinkle a little on a small bite of baked potato and then eat it to learn how it tastes.  If you decide to add more of a spice or herb, do it gradually in small increments as you cook.

The chart below provides you with some recommendations on which Herbs are used for which types of foods.  Experiment on your own by adding or substituting the herbs in your recipes to create a new flavor.

This is a great time of year to grow your own herbs.  Most familiar herbs are available at home and garden stores ready to plant in your garden or in a pot.  You can also grow them from seed and have a lovely variety of herbs to use in your cooking.  Additionally, there are important things that spices and herbs can do to help us with our health.  Using spices and herbs in your meal preparation can help you cut back on salt and sugar.

Reducing Salt – Use black pepper, garlic, curry, cumin, basil and ginger as savory flavor choices instead of salt.  Use powdered garlic and onion rather than the salt form.  When cooking pasta, skip the salt and add flavor with oregano, parsley, basil or an Italian blend.

Reducing Sugar – Use these spices which are naturally sweet to eliminate or reduce sugar:  Allspice, Anise, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Nutmeg.   Try out some new spices in your recipes – or try out some recipes that have spices that are new to you.  Enjoy!