Difference between spices and herbs

Probably most dishes are cooked using spices or herbs. What are they?

What are spices?

By spices it is customary to mean seasonings that are added to cooked food in order to enhance or change its taste. In some cases, spices also change the consistency of the dish (making it thicker or, for example, loose).

The most common spices are salt, sugar, vinegar, yeast. Other popular seasonings of the corresponding type: soda, gelatin, monosodium glutamate, starch, citric acid.

Spices are thus often artificial products of the food industry. In nature, the corresponding types of seasonings are extremely rare.

What are spices?

Spices are generally understood to mean seasonings added to both cooked and prepared food in order to enhance its flavor or give it a special "spicy" flavor. Some of the spices in question can change the appearance of the product - most often the color.

As a rule, the corresponding seasonings are of vegetable origin - they can be represented by herbs, fruits, processed in a certain way or mixed with other types of plants. Typical spices are cinnamon, mustard, ginger. There are also fresh spices - for example, garlic, various types of herbs.

The types of condiments considered are thus most often natural products. Their industrial processing can be carried out for the purpose of optimal packaging, the formation of spicy mixtures - for example, in accordance with national recipes.

Comparison

The main difference between spices and spices lies in their purpose. Seasonings of the first type are most often designed to significantly change the taste of prepared dishes. Spices are mainly intended only to enhance or complement the taste of products.

Spices are in many cases spices of industrial origin. Spices, as a rule, are represented by herbs and fruits, ready to eat without processing (if there is no need for this due to adherence to the recipe of a particular seasoning).

It is worth noting that the differentiation of the terms under consideration by meaning has developed mainly in the Russian language. For example, in English spices are spices, and in Italian spezie. Both words are consonant with the Russian "spice", which is obviously of European origin.

The noted feature predetermines the frequent interchangeability of the terms under consideration. Strictly speaking, this is not considered a mistake, but many Russian chefs prefer to distinguish between the concepts of "spice" and "spice" according to the criteria that we have studied.

Having determined what is the difference between spices and spices, we reflect the conclusions in the table.

Table