| Herb or Spice | Use to Season | Facts About |
| Allspice | Use with meat, fish, gravy, soup and stew, pickles, spice cakes & cookies pumpkin and squash. | The taste of allspice resembles a blend of spices. |
| Anise | Use in candies, baked goods and pork. | Has a licorice-like flavor |
| Basil | Use in sauces, vegetables, salads, meat, seafood, egg dishes. | Leaves are used fresh or dried. |
| Bay Leaves | Use to season meats, fish, potatoes, sauces, soups & stews. | Leaves are usually used whole and removed before serving. |
| Caraway Seeds | Use on breads, especially rye bread; also in cheeses. | Has a flavor similar to dill. |
| Cardamom | Use in curries, cookies & other pastries, breads, and pickles. | Common in Scandinavian and Middle Eastern dishes; has a sweet, lemony flavor. |
| Cayenne Pepper | Use in meats, soups, sauces, chili, seafood, Mexican & Cajun dishes. | Thin, red and yellow, very hot peppers are used whole, or dried and ground. |
| Celery Seed | Use in salads, pickles and relishes, sauces, soups and stews, and on beef. | Seeds are sold as whole or ground; also combined with salt for celery salt. |
| Chervil | Use in egg & cheese dishes, vegetables, soups and stews, salads, and creamy sauces. | Looks similar to parsley; common in French cuisine. |
| Chili Powder | Use in chili, sauces, curries, Mexican foods. | A combination of chili peppers plus other spices, including cumin. |
| Chives | Use in cheese dishes, eggs, fish, sauces; as a garnish in soups, salads, and vegetable dishes. | Long hollow green leaves have a mild onion flavor. Best when used fresh, but also used dried. |
| Cinnamon | Use in pastries, breads, cakes, cookies, pies, sauces, apples, pumpkin and squash recipes. Cinnamon sticks are sometimes used in beverages. | A highly aromatic spice available as cinnamon sticks and as a ground powder. |
| Cilantro | This leafy green herb is used in many Middle Eastern, Indian, Oriental, Spanish and Caribbean dishes. | The seeds of cilantro are finely ground to make the spice known as coriander. |
| Cloves | Use in cakes, cookies, and candies, ham, sauces, pickles and relishes. | Have a strong, spicy-sweet flavor; used whole or ground. If used whole, they are removed before serving. |
| Coriander | Use in curry, pickles, breads, cakes, and cookies. | Small fragrant seeds are used ground or whole; have a slight lemony flavor. Leaves of the same herb are known as cilantro. |
| Cumin | Add to curries, meats, cheeses, sausages, seafood, pickles, rice dishes, and chili. | Small fragrant seeds; a main ingredient in chili powder. |
| Curry Powder | Use in rice, lamb, poultry, eggs, and vegetables; used in many Indian recipes. | Curry powder is not a single spice, but combination of several spices such as coriander, ginger, turmeric, fenugreek seed, cumin, pepper, cloves, and other spices. |
| Dill | Used mainly in pickles, but can also be used in breads, soups, meats, and salads. | Also known as dill weed, both the leaves and seeds of this flavorful herb are used to season foods. |
| File' powder | Use to thicken and add flavor to Gumbo and other Creole dishes. Heat has an adverse affect on File, so add it after a pot of food has been removed from the oven or stove. | File' powder is made from dried, ground sassafras leaves. It has a root beer like flavor. |
| Fennel Seed | Use in pickles, pizza and spaghetti sauces, breads, cakes and cookies. | A member of the parsley family, grown for its sweet seeds; has a flavor similar to anise. |
| Garlic | Use in meats, chicken, seafood, stews, sauces, marinades, salad dressings; used in many Italian and Chinese dishes. | An herb related to the onion, used fresh or dried; also has many health benefits and medicinal uses. Its bulb is composed of several small cloves. |
| Ginger | Use in Oriental dishes, meat, poultry, seafood; also in squash and pumpkin recipes, cookies, cakes, and breads. | Ginger root is used fresh or dried, whole, ground, or cracked; has a strong spicy-sweet flavor. |
| Mace | Use in cakes, doughnuts and other baked goods; fish, meat stuffings, and in pickles. | Made from the coating of the nutmeg seed; used both whole and ground; has a flavor similar to nutmeg, but with a touch of cinnamon. |
| Marjoram | Use as a seasoning for lamb, soups, stews, fish, poultry stuffing, sausages, beans and other vegetables; alao in beverages and jellies. | Also called sweet marjoram; the leaves are used whole or ground. It has a sweet, minty flavor. |
| MSG (monosodium glutamate) | Used mainly as a seasoning for meat and seafood, frequently in Chinese and other Asian dishes. It´s added to other foods to enhance flavor. | MSG is a vegetable protein, a fine white powder, produced through the fermentation of foods such as molasses. |
| Mint | Use in fruits, desserts, jellies, candies, beverages, and as a garnish. | Mint leaves have a distinctive flavor and smell. It's used fresh or dried, whole or chopped. |
| Mustard | Used as ground mustard in salad dressings, sauces, cheese and egg dishes. Mustard seeds are commonly used in pickles, relishes, salads, beets, cabbage, and sauerkraut. | Mustard is sold as whole seeds or as a finely ground yellow powder. It has a strong, hot flavor. |
| Nutmeg | Use in breads, cookies, cakes, custard, pies, desserts, vegetables. | Used either ground or as a whole seed, nutmeg has a sweet, aromatic flavor. |
| Oregano | Use in tomato dishes, pizza, spaghetti sauce; in Greek, Italian, and Mexican dishes. | Ground oregano is an ingredient in many types of Italian food. It has a flavor and aroma similar to marjoram, but stronger. |
| Paprika | Use as a garnish for potatoes, potato salad, eggs, deviled eggs, beef, poultry, salads, and salad dressings. | A mild red spice, always used ground; used not only for its flavor, but for its red color. |
| Parsley | Use in soups or salads as a seasoning. Goes well with almost any meat as a garnish. | Parsley sprigs are used mainly as a garnish for foods and are often left untouched. It's used fresh or dried as a seasoning. |
| Black Pepper | Use to strengthen the flavor of meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, vegetables and more. | Black Pepper can be purchased as ground or as whole peppercorns. It's best when freshly ground. |
| Poppy Seeds | Use as a topping for rolls, breads, cookies, butters, and pastas. | Poppy seeds have a crunchy, nut-like flavor. It's used as whole seeds; can also be used crushed or ground. |
| Rosemary | Use to season lamb, beef, veal, poultry, soups and stews, potatoes, and breads such as rosemary focaccia. | Small needle-like leaves are used dried or fresh, whole or ground; has a sweet but bold aroma and flavor, |
| Saffron | Use in rice dishes and other Mediterranean cuisine; used in paella, bouillabaisse, and sometimes in chicken dishes. | Saffron is sold as a ground powder; has a yellow color and a slightly bitter taste. |
| Sage | Use to season sausage, poultry stuffings, veal, pork, meat loaf, stews, and salads. | An herb grown for its leaves, used as rubbed or ground; has a slightly lemony taste. |
| Savory | Use with lamb, beef, poultry, egg dishes, squash, beans and lentils. | Leaves are used fresh, or dried as whole leaves; has a flavor similar to thyme. |
| Sesame Seeds | Use on bread, rolls, bagels, salads, and in stir fry. | Sesame seeds are always used as whole oil seeds. Most are used on hamburger buns. |
| Tarragon | Use to season veal, lamb, beef, poultry, seafood, eggs, salads, dressings, mushrooms, asparagus. | Leaves are used fresh or dried, whole or ground; has astrong spicy smell and taste. If using dried tarragon leaves, remove them after cooking, since once dried they will not soften again when cooked. |
| Thyme | Use in poultry, poultry stuffing, pork, beef, tomatoes, tomato soups and sauces. | An herb used both fresh and dried, whole or ground. It has a strong, but pleasant flavor, resembling a blend of cloves and sage. |
| Turmeric | Use in curries, poultry, relishes, pickles, eggs, rice. | A member of the ginger family; an orange-yellow powder with a mild flavor. |
