Herbs / Spices Food Nutrition

Herbs are the part of a plant that are considered 'non-woody', i.e. the part of the plant that dies after it has finished flowering. They are either the leaf or the tender stem which is used to flavour foods.

Spices are the opposite, and are the 'woody' part of the plant, including the roots, seeds or bark. Originally used for medicinal purposes, herbs have been traced back to the early origins of mankind. Spices are relatively modern compared to herbs, and it was not until the 1400's when Christopher Columbus was sailing around the world that spices were brought to Britain, which as a result shaped the British Empire over the coming centuries.