Buzz
Herbs and spices share a surprising number of similarities. For one, both have the ability to leave your dinner guests asking for more, after they’ve reached for second and third servings of every dish on the table. They can even transform your opinion on vegetables you’ve despised since childhood—think Brussels sprouts or broccoli.
Although both herbs and spices come from plants, they aren’t always derived from the same parts of the plant. As The Kitchn notes, herbs are the leaves of plants—such as parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and others that Simon and Garfunkel didn't sing about. A spice, however, is any seasoning sourced from other parts of the plant, like the roots, bark, seeds, rhizomes, bulbs, or buds. For example, cinnamon sticks are actually bark from trees in the Cinnamomum genus, and cloves are dried flower buds from the clove tree.
Some plants provide both an herb and a spice, which can make identifying these products a bit tricky. The leaves of the Coriandrum sativum plant are commonly known as cilantro, which is undoubtedly an herb. However, the seeds are referred to as coriander, a spice. It's worth noting that cilantro and coriander are both terms for the same plant, with cilantro being the Spanish word for coriander. Dill (Anethum graveolens) offers another example. Dill weed refers to the leaves (the herb), while dill seed—which is technically the tiny, brown fruit of the plant, not a true seed—is considered a spice.
If you’re chatting about herbs with a botanist instead of a chef, they won’t just be talking about the plant’s leaves. According to Merriam-Webster, the botanical definition of an herb is 'a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that lacks persistent woody tissue and dies off at the end of the growing season.' In botanical terms, herbs are entire plants that don’t feature woody parts like those of trees or shrubs. The cumin plant, for example, whose seeds are used as a spice, is considered an herb.
If you're looking to incorporate herbs into your dishes, check out this helpful pairing guide.
