Herbs and spices have been used for millenia for culinary, medical, cosmetic, and religious purposes. Spices have been actively traded on an international level ever since 2,000 B.C.E., when Arab traders brought back pepper, cloves, nutmegs, and other delicacies from the famed Spice Islands (the Molucca islands off the coast of Indonesia). In the 1400s, European explorers went in search of their own spice route. They found the New World, and with it, spices such as vanilla, chile, and allspice.
The difference between herbs and spices is simple: herbs are the leaves of the plants while spices are the dried roots, bark, pods, and fruit. Coriander, for example, is the seed of a cilantro plant. Vanilla is an edible pod, cinnamon is bark, and cloves are the dried flower buds of S. aromaticum, an evergreen tree.
Both herbs and spices are most flavorful when fresh. When using fresh herbs, swish them gently in a bowl of cold water to clean them and then pat them dry. Chop them just before using–many herbs darken when cut. Oftentimes, it is best to add them at the end of cooking your dish so that they retain more of their true flavor. Keep dried herbs in a cool, dark place, and right before using them, crush them between your fingers to release their flavor. Most spices come pre-ground and thus will lose their flavor more quickly than they would if you ground them at the last minute; just be aware of this and replace them as necessary.
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