- Used mainly as a starch - Bland in taste and becomes clear when cooked - Sold as dried arrowroot powder or as whole fresh root - Used in biscuits, puddings, jellies, cakes, sauces, soups, stews and noodles
Asafoetida
- Also known as Devil's Dung, Stinking Gum, Asant, Food of the Gods, Kaayam, Hing, Ingua, Ingu, Perungayam, Hilteet, and Giant Fennel
- Made from the roots of the Ferula plant, a species of giant fennel - Has a unique, pungent and unpleasant smell when raw, due to the presence of sulphur - Acrid and bitter in taste, it delivers a smooth flavor when cooked, reminiscent of leeks, onions and garlic
- Sold in a compounded form, comprising of asafetida resin (30%), wheat / rice flour and gum arabic
- Used as digestive aid, in pickles and often in Indian cuisine, particularly in Indian vegetarian cuisine, where garlic and onions are prohibted
Avocado Leaves
- Used in Mexican cuisine - Light, musty and bitter flavour with an anise tasting overtone - Used as both fresh and dried - Used in meat dishes, bean dishes, soups and stews - There are concerns over toxicity in some species of avocado leaves
What is considered a herb and what is considered a spice?
According to Cambridge dictionary, Herb/hɜːb/ is a type of plant whose leaves are used in cooking to give flavour to particular dishes, or which are used in making medicine.
while
Spices/spaɪs/ is a substance made from a plant, which is used to give a special flavour to food. It does not define exactly which part of a plant a spice has to be made from.
Whereas the Wikipedia mentioned that
"Culinary use of the term "herb" typically distinguishes between herbs, from the leafy green parts of plant, and spices, from other parts of the plant, including seeds, berries, bark, root, fruit, and even occasionally dried leaves or roots.
Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that, like spices, they are used in small amounts and provide flavor rather than substance to food.
Some plants are used as both a spice and a herb, such as dill seed and dill weed or coriander seeds and coriander leaves."
There is no indication whether dried leaves are considered as a herb or spice. Hence, we would also include them under our list of spices. In the event that only fresh leaves are used, the herb will be excluded.
- Also known as Achiote, Atsuwete, Achuete or Roucou - Used as both a spice and red-coloured food dye - Commonly used in Latin America, Caribbean and Filipino cuisines - Slightly sweet and peppery flavour, slightly peppery scent with a hint of nutmeg - Sold as dried seeds or powdered - Used to colour cheese, butter and confectionary, and in Filipino dishes, such as ukoy, shrimp and sweet potato fritters; pipian, chicken and pork in an annatto oil sauce; and kari-kari, a brightly- coloured vegetable and oxtail stew - Linked to food-related allergies
Apple Mint
- Also known as Woolly Mint - Mild, subtle apple fragrance, pleasant, fruity taste and sweeter than other mints - Sold whole, dried or as pot grown plants - Used to make apple mint jelly, apple mint couscous, in mint tea, as a garnish or added to desserts, salads and freshly boiled potatoes - Also used for its medicinal qualities
- Also known asWild Celery, Masterwort, Dang Gui (chinese) - Used for its medicinal qualities - Has mild liquorice flavour - All parts of Angelica, namely, roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds, can be used - Roots are generally considered a spice while the stems and leaves a herb - Leafstalk can be used as vegetable, seeds to flavour sweets and cookies, young leaves and flowers added to salads, candied stems in cookies and cake decoration - Roots can be used in soups or herbal tea, flavour alcohols and liqueurs
Anise - Also known asAniseed - Used in wide variety of regional and ethnic cuisines and confectioneries, including parts of Europe, Middle East, India and South East Asia - Also used for its medicinal qualities - Sweet and aromatic, used for its distinctive liquorice flavour - Sold as whole or in powdered form - Used in soups, sauces, curries, added to pork and vegetables, in teas, to flavour sweets and liqueurs
Anise Myrtle
- Also known as Aniseed Myrtle, Australian Leaf Aniseed, Native Anise - Used in Native Australian cuisine - Soft, subtle anise flavour with a hint of green tea; warm liquorice taste - Can be used as a substitute for star anise or a mild clove substitute - Sold whole, flaked, powdered or as essential oil - Used in sweet, savoury dishes or in herbal tea; dishes include eggs, poultry, seafood, cakes, pastries and desserts
- Also known as Bush Tomato, Desert Raisins, Desert Tomato - Used in Native Australian cuisine - Strong, pungent taste of tamarillo and caramel, similar to sun-dried tomatoes - Too strongly flavoured; has to used in chopped or powdered form - Used in bread mixes, salads, sauces, cheese dishes, chutney, stews
Allspice
- Also known as Jamaica Pepper, Kurundu, Myrtle Pepper, Pimenta or Newspice - Made from unripe allspice berries that resembles large brown peppercorn when dried - Used in wide variety of cuisine, including Caribbean, European, Middle Eastern and Indian - Combines the flavour of pepper, cinnamon, juniper, nutmeg, ginger and clove; hence its nameallspice - Sold whole, ground or as essential oil - Used in jerked meats, mole sauces, curries, sausages, marinades, pickling, liqueurs and desserts
Amchoor / Amchur
- Made from green mangoes harvested prior to ripening - Used in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine - Sour and fruity taste; slightly spicy in flavour - Sold in both powdered and sliced dried form - Used in chutney, pickles, curries or as a tenderizer; prevalent in vegetarian cuisine
- Also known as Bishop's Weeds or Carom Seeds - Used in Indian and Middle eastern cuisine - Smells and tastes almost like thyme, but more aromatic, less subtle, slightly bitter and pungent - Sold in seed or ground form - Used in chutneys, curries, bread and legumes
