Herbs are only obtained from the leafy
part of a plant while spices can come from any other part of the
plant. A single plant can be the source of both an herb and a spice,
or more than one spice.
The coriander plant, is an example of a plant that produces both an
herb and a spice. The leafy green part is known as coriander leaf
(typically known as cilantro in the Americas), while the dried seeds
are sold whole or ground as coriander. Nutmeg and mace, both spices,
are derived from the seed of the fruit of the myristica fragrans, or
nutmeg tree. The seed has a waxy red outer layer (called the “aril”)
which is carefully removed, dried, and ground to make mace. The rest
of the seed is then dried out and sold whole or ground to be used as
nutmeg.
Culinary herbs are the leafy portions of a plant that die down after
each growing season and can be used as dried or fresh. Examples
include basil, bay leaves, parsley, cilantro, mint, rosemary and
thyme.
Spices have a much broader spectrum of origin and can be utilized
from any other part of a plant such as the roots, bark, flowers,
fruit, and seeds. Examples come from berries (peppercorns), roots
(ginger), seeds (nutmeg), flower buds (cloves) or the stamen of
flowers (saffron). Spices are always used in dried form and have
also traditionally been used as a preservative. Archaeologists have
found evidence in Egyptian tombs of spices used for embalming,
dating back to 3000 B.C.
Allspice is not a combination of anything. It is the dried unripe
fruit of Pimenta dioica tree. The name allspice was coined by the
English, who thought it combined the flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg, and
cloves.
Black pepper is a flowering vine, cultivated for its fruit, which is
dried and used as a spice and seasoning. Salt is neither an herb
nor a spice, because it is an inorganic mineral.