Herbs vs. spices: Yes there is a difference!
Herbs and spices are invaluable when it comes to elevating skincare—and food! Let’s talk about which is which.
A lot of times we use the names for the ingredients in our cabinets interchangeably. Basil may be sitting on a spice rack, or maybe there’s black pepper in an herb grinder, but what is the real difference between a spice and an herb? Location, location, location–as well as a few other things.
Why Are Spice and Herb Used Interchangeably?
Short answer, they essentially do the same thing: season. Most ingredients in our spice cabinets used to flavor our food, or in our case enhance our skincare routine, can be broken into these two categories, except for a few minerals. So, it makes sense that we call them by the same name to reduce confusion and increase efficiency. We don’t care what word you use but for the sake of inquiring minds, there actually is a difference.
What Is a Spice?
The American Oxford Dictionary defines spice as “one of the various types of powders or seeds that come from plants and are used in cooking. Spices have a strong taste and smell”. The most interesting part of that sentence is “seed”. Spices, like herbs, come from plants. The difference is what part of the plant. Spices refers to hardier parts of plants like seeds, roots, bark, and stems that are usually heated or dried.
Black pepper is the seed from the black pepper (piper nigrum) plant. They start off plump and green then wrinkle and blacken during the drying phase.
Cinnamon is the bark of the cinnamomum tree. The bark is removed from the tree then dried.
Ginger in our cabinets comes from the root of the ginger (zingiber officinale) plant. It can be used fresh or dried.
Coriander is the seed/spice part of the cilantro plant (coriandrum sativum). In contrast, the herb cilantro is the leafy part of the plant.
What Is an Herb?
Herbs technically are “plants whose leaves, flowers, or seeds are used to flavor food, in medicines, or for their pleasant smell.” Sounds pretty similar to the spice definition, right? What the Oxford “leaves” out is that most herbs are the leafy green and flower/petal parts of the plant. Herbs are more likely to be found fresh compared to spices, though they can be dried as well.
Dried flowers and petals are common herb types. Others include lavender, primrose, and hibiscus.
Herbs like basil are delicate but fecund. Softer stems mean these herbs need more frequent watering and less light. They will deteriorate much faster than heartier herbs.
Some herbs are heartier than others. Rosemary prefers dryer soil and higher light than more delicate herbs. This is attributed to its woody stalk.
Cilantro is a delicate herb similar to basil. This herb is worth growing due to its versatility. The leaves can be used as an herb, while the seeds can be used as a spice.
At the end of the day…
What you call them doesn’t matter, as they technically achieve the same thing. This is for the grammar nerds and anyone who just wanted to know like we did. If anyone tries to correct you, they are an asshole.