Often confused with oregano, this herb is sometime called 'wild oregano.'
Marjoram
Belongs to the mint family. Romans used this as an herb and seasoning even before they used pepper. Synonym for 'tasty.'
Savory
A common flavoring for many kinds of rye bread; sounds the same as the name of the narrator of The Great Gatsby.
Caraway seed
This spice is the ground outer covering of the nutmeg seed.
Mace
This 'tipsy' spice is also known as black sugar & sweetroot.
Licorice
This leaf comes from the laurel tree and a staple in kitchens throughout the world; the leaves also flavor classic French dishes such as bouillabaise and bouillon.
Bay leaf
Used in place of saffron to provide color and flavor. Popularly used in Indian curries.
Turmeric
Comes from a flowering plant in the crocus family and it the world's most expensive spice. It is costly because more than 225,000 stigmas must be hand picked to produce one pound.
Saffron
Usually found on top of breads, these are non-narcotic, lest the name scare you.
Poppy seeds
The spice that gives pizza its characteristic flavor.
Oregano
Used in Jamaican jerk cooking, its taste and aroma remind many people of a mix of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Name sounds like its a mix of everything.
Allspice
Most widely used culinary herb in the United States. Not sage, rosemary or thyme.
Parsley
Often included in seasoning blends for poultry and stuffing and paired with tomatoes. Tradition tells that it was in the straw bed of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child. A gland of the human body that is important for immunity takes its name from it.
Thyme
The Arawaks of Caribbean used this to draw out toxins from people wounded by poison arrows and the name of this herb is thought to be derived from that practice.
Arrowroot
Gave its name to a famous phrase in the The Thousand and One Nights, which refers to the seeds' ability to pop at the slightest touch when ripe. Open...
Sesame seed
This spice that comes in pods is called 'The Queen of Spices' in India.
Cardamom
The leaf of this young plant is cilantro and it is probably one of the first herbs to be used by mankind, perhaps going back as far back as 5000 BC.
Coriander
The condiment mustard is best associated with this French city.
Dijon
This is a combination of herbs that forms a mainstay of Mediterranean cuisine and contains fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil.
Fines herbes
The main flavor in Hungarian cooking, including dishes like Goulash.
Paprika
Best known in the west as the 'pickle herb.'
Dill
This herb is best known as the ingredient of Bearnaise sauce; name comes from the Greek for 'dragon' and it sounds like it too.
Tarragon
It's a key herb in Mediterranean cooking and was called 'the king of herbs' by the Greeks; key ingredient of pesto sauce.
Basil
The name of the fennel herb comes from the Greek word for this 'long distance running' word because a famous battle of 490 BC against the Persians was fought on a field of fennel.
Marathon
Long a symbol of rememberance, the name of this herb comes from a Latin word for 'sea dew.'
Rosemary
The major source of this spice, said to be the second most expensive after saffron, is Madagascar.
Vanilla
The name of this wise sounding herb comes from the Latin word 'salia' meaning 'to save.'
Sage
Comes in black, white and green ___corn varieties.
Pepper
The name comes from the French word meaning nail, not surprisingly, they look like nails.
Cloves
The name of this spice comes from the Sanskrit word 'sinabera' meaning 'shaped like a horn' because of its resemblance to an antler. In the 19th century it was popular to keep a shaker of this on the counter in English pubs so the patrons could shake some into their drinks. This practice was the origin of a non-alcoholic ale.
Ginger
Its licoricelike flavor is popular in candies and it is used in liqueurs, the best known of which is ouzo from Greece.
Anise
The distinctive feature of this spice is that it comes from the bark of various laurel trees; ground variety is perhaps the most common baking spice; Sri Lanka is the principal source of this spice.
Cinnamon
This spice comes in 2 varieties and follows 'spear' and 'pepper.'
Mint