What is the difference between an herb and a spice?

Answer by  shou (49)

One basic difference between the two is a herb usually denotes the green, leafy vegetable, while a spice refers to dried, and sometimes processed components of a plant. Also, certain spices can be used as preservatives, such as curry powder, whereas herbs are used more for flavoring or medicinal properties.

Answer by  maggie711 (285)

An herb is usually a plant that is grown for its whole fresh leaves, like parsley, marjoram, sage, and oregano, although the herb leaves can also be dried. Spices, on the other hand, are usually ground from nuts, berries, and bark, like cinnamon (bark), mace (from nutmeg nut), bay (bay tree leaves).

Answer by  elb (1105)

An herb is the leafy part of a plant that doesn't have a woody stem. A spice is more often made from the seed, bark, or root of a plant. Herbs are often used medicinally; spices less often. Both are used to flavor food, so the terms are easily substituted.

Answer by  TJeany (30)

An herb is like parsley, dill weed, basil and oregano. Plants that can be grown and used fresh or dyed. And spices are on the sweeter side like, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and curry. Though, currys come in many forms of sweet and hot forms. Spices are more in the root or flower side of things.

Answer by  technogeek (6640)

Herbs are grown and spices are made. Salt is a spice and parsley, oregano and basil are herbs. Beyond that, there is not much difference between the two. Hope that helps.

Answer by  localgirl808 (405)

An herb is a plant used in cooking, in medicine, or for religious ceremonies because of its appearance, its scent, and/or its flavor. A spice is a dried plant or plant part (e.g. roots or bark) that is used in cooking, in medicine, in religious ceremonies, or in cosmetics as a preservative or for flavoring and/or coloring.

Answer by  traumatised (3285)

Although both are used to flavour food, they tend to come from different parts of a plant. Herbs usually come from the leafy bit and are served fresh or dried. Spices are often obtained from the seeds, roots, fruits or bark of a plant and are not usually served fresh. Some define spices by location (Far East/Tropical climates)

Answer by  dimusu (55)

Herb denotes plant varieties and spice is not so. Spices are also originate from plants but they are of a particular quality rdamom, cinnamon, cloves are spices .