What are types of spices?

Answer 1

---- Herbs are the green, http://www.answers.com/topic/leafy parts of plants. They are most http://www.answers.com/topic/efficacious and flavorsome when used fresh, and they are mostly grown in temperate to hot regions. Spices are derived from any part of a plant that is not a leaf: for example, cloves are flower buds, http://www.answers.com/topic/cinnamon is bark, ginger is a root, peppercorns are berries, http://www.answers.com/topic/nigella is seed, http://www.answers.com/topic/cumin is a fruit, http://www.answers.com/topic/saffron is http://www.answers.com/topic/stigma, cardamom is pods and seeds, and http://www.answers.com/topic/asafoetida is a gum. Spices are usually used in small amounts, are best used dry (the drying process often enhances the flavor), and most grow in http://www.answers.com/topic/subtropical or tropical climates. One single plant can be both an herb and a spice. Aromatic seeds like http://www.answers.com/topic/dill are a spice, while dill leaves are an herb. However, coriander and http://www.answers.com/topic/parsley-root roots, http://www.answers.com/topic/garlic and http://www.answers.com/topic/fennel bulbs are all ---- What Do They Look Like? Herbs and spices cover the complete range of growth habits and sizes of plants, and they can be annuals, biennials, perennials, trees, shrubs, climbers, and grasses. They grow in a wide range of conditions and habitats from the tropics to polar regions. They can be found at sea level, some even grow in the sea or in fresh water, and others grow near the tops of the highest mountains. Despite this diversity it is true that many of the better-known herbs and spices fall into distinct groups. One group contains those plants found in the http://www.answers.com/topic/mint-family (mint family). They are characterized by young stems that are four-angled, simple opposite leaves, and flowers with five more or less fused petals. Glands on these plants usually contain http://www.answers.com/topic/volatile fragrant oils. Most originate in the Mediterranean or Central Asia and are used as potherbs, to make perfumes, and in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Well-known herbs such as basil, http://www.answers.com/topic/bergamot, calamint, http://www.answers.com/topic/hyssop, lavender, http://www.answers.com/topic/lemon-balm, mint, rosemary, sage, http://www.answers.com/topic/savory, and http://www.answers.com/topic/thyme are in this family. In the Apiaceae (carrot family) are important herbs and spices such as http://www.answers.com/topic/angelica, anise, http://www.answers.com/topic/caraway, chervil, http://www.answers.com/topic/coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, http://www.answers.com/topic/gotu-kola, http://www.answers.com/topic/lovage, and http://www.answers.com/topic/parsley. These plants mostly originate from temperate regions all over the world. They are characterized by being http://www.answers.com/topic/aromatic and having hollow stems and dissected leaves arranged in spirals, often attached by a base that sheathes the stem. The usually small, five-petaled flowers appear in umbels and are followed by strongly scented fruits (often called seeds). The leaves of many of these plants are important herbs, while the fruits are widely used spices. French tarragon is in the Asteraceae (daisy family), members of which grow mostly in temperate regions all over the world. Plants in this group usually have simple or dissected leaves arranged in spirals. Flowers are usually tiny discs grouped together in compact heads and surrounded by a ring of ray flowers with straplike petals. Other herbs in this family include http://www.answers.com/topic/burdock, chamomile, http://www.answers.com/topic/chicory, dandelion, marigolds, http://www.answers.com/topic/pyrethrum, safflower, http://www.answers.com/topic/wormwood, and yarrow. Some are important http://www.answers.com/topic/culinary herbs, while others are important medicinal herbs. The group also includes herbs used to kill and http://www.answers.com/topic/repel insects and to produce dyes. The Lauraceae (laurel family) consists mostly of aromatic, evergreen shrubs and trees originating from warm and tropical regions of Southeast Asia and northern South America. The herbs and spices in this family include sweet bay, http://www.answers.com/topic/camphor, cassia, cinnamon, and http://www.answers.com/topic/sassafras. Allspice, cloves, http://www.answers.com/topic/cajeput-oil, http://www.answers.com/topic/eucalyptus, and myrtle are all in the http://www.answers.com/topic/myrtaceae-1 (myrtle family). These are trees and shrubs that grow in tropical and warm areas of the world. They bear scented leaves containing important essential oils, and many also bear edible fruit. Some important root spices are in the http://www.answers.com/topic/zingiberaceae-1 (ginger family). These plants mostly grow from thickened aromatic rhizomes with large, upright, alternate leaves. They are mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In this family are http://www.answers.com/topic/cardamom, Chinese keys, http://www.answers.com/topic/galangal, gingers, torch ginger, http://www.answers.com/topic/turmeric, and http://www.answers.com/topic/zedoary. ---- History Archaeological evidence shows that the use of spices and herbs dates back to long before recorded history, when human ancestors first added sharp-flavored leaves to early cooking pots. Roaming hunter-gatherer groups experimented with leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds, so over time they built up a precious http://www.answers.com/topic/compendium of knowledge that was passed from one generation to the next. As civilization progressed and nomadic tribes settled in one place, herbs and spices were not just collected from the wild but were deliberately sown near dwelling places. By the beginning of the agricultural period plants were collected from the wild and grown near dwellings for food, flavor, medicine, fuel, decoration, dyes, poison, and weapons and to alter early humans' sense of reality. The earliest written records come from ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian cultures. The Ebers Papyrus that dates from 1550 B.C.E. describes some eight hundred different medicinal http://www.answers.com/topic/remedy and numerous medicinal procedures. Early Egyptians used spices and herbs in medicine, as http://www.answers.com/topic/cosmetic and perfumes, for http://www.answers.com/topic/embalming, in cooking, and to kill and repel pests. ---- Trade The ancient trade in some spices was highly http://www.answers.com/topic/lucrative. Black pepper was the most lucrative of all, although cassia and cinnamon were essential ingredients in Egyptian embalmment. Taprobane (Sri Lanka) was well known to the Greeks and Romans, and trade with it is described in the Byzantine topography of Cosmas Indicopleustes. The earliest known Chinese records of the uses of plants date from 2700 B.C.E., from the http://www.answers.com/topic/herbal compiled by Emperor Chin Nong. In India the Vedic literature of about 1500-1200 B.C.E. describes many different plants used in religious ceremonies. When the http://www.answers.com/topic/queen-of-sheba visited King Solomon in the tenth century B.C.E., she offered gifts of rare and sought-after spices and herbs, probably with the hope of increasing and expanding the existing trade in these commodities. Evidence of trading and use of herbs and spices is in the writings, among others, of the Greek physician Dioscorides and the Roman civil servant Pliny the Elder in the first century C.E. The spread of the Roman Empire also spread herbs such as rosemary, savory, garlic, and thyme into northern Europe and Britain. Romans took with them precious supplies of spices like pepper and ginger. The fall of the Roman Empire accompanied a dramatic decrease in trade until the eighth century and the spread of the Muslim Empire, when once again spices and herbs were on the move and were widely used in medicine and cooking. After the Norman conquest of Britain, spices such as ginger, cloves, http://www.answers.com/topic/mace, and pepper were once again found on the tables of wealthy Britons. Later the ongoing search for and trade in other valuable spices, which at different times have been worth as much as gold, led to some of the great voyages of discovery. Ginger, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, galangal, mace, and http://www.answers.com/topic/nutmeg were the reasons for battles fought, fortunes made and lost, and new worlds discovered. These spices launched Europe and Britain, attempting to http://www.answers.com/topic/satiate their desires for these exotic ingredients, into the age of exploration. Christopher Columbus discovered America while searching for a new sea route to the Spice Islands. In 1498 http://www.answers.com/topic/vasco-3 da Gama, the Portuguese navigator, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and established a new spice route to India and beyond. Magellan eventually found the western route to the Spice Islands in the 1520s. In the following centuries the Portuguese, Dutch, and British fought wars for control of these routes and the islands where many of the spices grew. Modern methods of preservation led to a decrease in the use of spices in many Western countries, and at the same time, with modern methods of transportation, spices became ubiquitous and relatively cheap. ---- Growing Herbs and Spices In the past herbs and spices were grown in gardens and harvested for use in the home, or they were collected from the wild, in what was known as wild crafting. As the demand for herbs and spices increased, they were also grown on a small scale as agricultural crops. The growth, harvest, and processing of herbs and spices was and in many cases has remained a labor-intensive enterprise. Consequently these crops often were grown in countries where labor was cheap. In the early twenty-first century Egypt grew and exported large quantities of http://www.answers.com/topic/anise, basil, caraway, dill, and fennel; China produced fennel, garlic, ginger, and cumin; India grew http://www.answers.com/topic/celery-seed-food, fennel, and turmeric; and Croatia produced sage, savory, and rosemary, to name a few. At that time the herb and spice industry could be divided into three main categories, essential oils, medicinal crops, and culinary herbs and spices (fresh and dried).

Answer 2

There are lots :-

Pepper

Chili

Mace

Cloves

Lemon Grass

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Allspice

Asafoetida

Cumin

Coriander

Ginger

Turmeric

Fennel

Fenugreek

Mustard

etc.

Answer 3

there are wide of da spices are used in cooking n they have medicinal uses too. to mention few:

ouvma: is good for

jeera:is good for gastric probs used in cooking, ppl in south India prepare jeera rice in special ocasions

coriender seed:to prepare fish curry or any other curry.soked seed put in tine cloth n kept over da eye cools ur eyes.

nutmeg:good to cure da stomach pain specially for small kid

colves:used in cooking n good for toothache.

blackpepper seeds:paste of blackpepper seeds applied over da body where dar is sever pain it gets rid of it.(Back pain,thigh or leg ur hands)"not to applie on wounds".

there are many i mentioned very few of dem.n all these species are used in cooking.

thk u

Answer 4

Herbs and spices are used in medicine to help lots of ill people... but their mainly used as ingredients for cooking delicious meals. Anyways I hope I helped

Answer 5

well there are over 350 spices in the world as well as herbs and spice blends so short of listing every spice there isn't really any other answer to your question.

Answer 6

No kind. Herbs are leaves, flowers or green stalks, spices are seeds, roots or bark. Put another way, herbs are herbaceous, spices are woody.

Answer 7

a powder

Answer 8

herbs