Cooking Questions: Spices and Herbs

How do I substitute fresh herbs for dried?


The general rule of thumb is to convert teaspoons of dried herbs into tablespoons of fresh ones: for example, use two tablespoons of fresh basil instead of two teaspoons of dried basil. Note that fresh herbs should be added at the end of the cooking process to preserve their flavors.

What is the difference between a spice and an herb?

Spices are pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds or stems of plants and trees, whereas herbs are the fragrant leaves of various annual or perennial plants that grow in temperate zones and do not have woody stems.

*Spices were prized long before recorded history. Though they've always been essential for flavoring food and drink, throughout the ages spices have been used in crowning emperors, making medicines and perfumes, in religious ceremonies and as burial accoutrements for the wealthy. More than 3,000 years ago the Arabs dominated the spice trade, bringing their rare cargo back from India and the Orient by arduous camel caravans. During the Middle Ages the demand for spices was so high that they became rich commodities--a pound of mace could buy three sheep and the same amount of peppercorns could buy freedom for a serf. By that time Venice had a tight hold on Western commerce and controlled the incredibly lucrative European spice trade. That Venetian monopoly was an important catalyst for the expeditions that resulted in the discovery of the New World. Today, the United States is the world's major spice buyer.