Most people are accustomed to using freshbasil（罗勒叶） in theirfavorite Italian dishes, but this licorice-like herb is equally at home in aThai coconut curry or a Provencal pistou. Dried basil tastes completelydifferent from fresh, so if you want to add a shot of basil flavor try blendingbasil with olive oil and storing cubes in the freezer.

（月桂叶）Bay isone of the herbs that plays an important supporting role; you’d miss it if itweren’t there, but wouldn’t necessarily be able to name what was missing. Thelonger, narrower California bay leaves are more pungent than the Turkish ones,so check what you’ve got before following a recipe. Fresh bay leaves, which aremuch more flavorful than dried, are becoming more commonly available insupermarkets.

Chives（香葱） add a flavor similar to onion without the bite. Plus, their slendertube-like appearance looks great as a garnish either snipped and sprinkled orlaid elegantly across a plate. Add these delicate herbs at the very end tomaximize their color and flavor. Purple chive blossoms are more pungent thanthe stems and can be a beautiful addition to a salad.

Supposedly there’s actually a gene thatdetermines whether or not people like cilantro（芫荽叶、香菜）, so this herb is truly a love it or hate it proposition for most.It’s still one of the most popular herbs in the world — particularly in Asiaand Latin America — and for people who loveit, it’s impossible to imagine a meal without its unique flavor. Cilantro stemsare quite sweet and can be added raw along with the leaves while the roots areprized by Thai chefs for curry pastes.

The feathery leaves of the dill（莳萝） plant add a light anise flavorto seafood, soups, salads, and lots of other dishes. A classic in borscht orpaired with salmon, dill is almost always added at the very last minute. Keepit fresh in the refrigerator by storing it in a glass of water with a plasticbag placed over the top.

Although more commonly associated withsweet treats, mint lends its cooling, peppery bite to plenty of savory dishes,particularly from the Middle East and North Africa.Perfect for summer-fresh salads or to liven up a sauce, leftover fresh mint canalso be used to brew a fragrant tea which is equally tasty served hot or cold.

Oregano（牛至叶）, a pungent herb primarily found in Mediterraneanand Mexican cuisines, is one of the few herbs that survive the drying processrelatively unscathed. Use convenient dried oregano for longer stewing or dryrubs, but make sure to use half as much dry as you would fresh since the flavoris so intense. Oregano can also be used as a substitute for its close cousinmarjoram.

Formerly relegated to the role ofomnipresent garnish, fresh parsley（西芹） is coming into its own for its fresh flavor and great healthbenefits, but dried parsley lacks both flavor and color. Make sure to wash thefresh herb well by swishing it in a bowl of cool water to let the sand run tothe bottom and repeating until clean. One last tip: Parsley can be squeezed dryin a tea towel or paper towels after chopping— and you’ll want it nice and dryif you do plan on adding that extra green sprinkle!

（迷迭香）

A tough, woody herb with a pungent flavor,rosemary’s spiky leaves can be used fresh or dried for long cooking in soups,meats, stews, sauces, etc. Because the flavor is strong, it’s best to addrosemary sparingly at first and more if needed. Fresh rosemary can be storedfor about a week in the fridge either in a plastic bag or stems down in a glassof water with a plastic bag around the top.

Most people have an ancient container ofdried sage（鼠尾草） thatgets pulled out for Thanksgiving stuffing, but there are so many otherdelicious uses for this herb throughout the year, particularly in dishes withpork, beans, potatoes, cheese, or as half of the classic sage and brown buttersauce. The flavor can be somewhat overwhelming — particularly with dried sage —so start off with a small amount and build on that.

Although tarragon（龙蒿叶） is well-loved in Frenchcooking, it’s less common elsewhere except in dried herb mixes or fine diningrestaurants. Experimenting with this anise-like herb in classic Frenchfavorites such as bearnaise sauce, creamy tarragon chicken, or fresh vinaigrettescan help you learn how to use tarragon to lift flavors without overpowering adish.  Store tarragon in a plastic bag inthe fridge along with a damp paper towel or stems down in a glass of water witha plastic bag on top.

One of the most popular herbs in Americanand European cooking, thyme（百里香） can be paired with nearly any kind of meat, poultry, fish, orvegetable. To use fresh thyme, peel off as many of the leaves as you can fromthe woody stem by running your fingers along the stem. Particularly withyounger thyme, some of the main stem or little offshoot stems will be pliableand come off with the leaves, which is fine. Thyme keeps for at least a week inthe fridge, wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag.

A Caribbeanberry that has the sweetness and heat of cinnamon（肉桂）, cloves（丁香）, and nutmeg（肉豆蔻）, allspice（众香果） can be used in both desserts and savory dishes. Try a pinch inginger snaps or a baked ham or make your own Jamaican jerk seasoning to see whythis spice is an island favorite..

Used often in Central European cooking,caraway seeds（页蒿子） aremostly known outside the region for their starring role in rye bread. Theirslightly anise flavor works particularly well with the kind of sweet and sourdishes favored in Central Europe such as porkand apples or braised red cabbage（卷心菜）.

One of the most commonly used spices inIndian or Swedish cooking, whole cardamom（小豆蔻） pods can appear in pilau rice, curries, or Scandinavian bakedgoods. Ground cardamom loses its flavor quickly and should be purchased wholeand ground when needed — the entire pod can be ground or the seeds can bescraped out and used on their own.

A touch of spicy cayenne（辣椒） can add a lot of heat to a dishwithout radically changing the flavor. It is a mixture of ground, dried chilipeppers and can be used with a wide variety of cuisines, particularly Italianand Mexican. Since it’s always sold in the powdered form, it shouldn’t bestored for longer than six months

You can now find lovage, the wild celeryplant these seeds are from, on more and more menus emphasizing regional andlocal cuisine. The seeds add their pungent flavor to anything from cocktails tocoleslaw and can be used either whole or ground.

Cinnamon（桂皮） adds sweetness and heat to sweet and savory dishes alike. Cinnamonsticks are often added whole to coffee, stews, rice, curries, or tagines andremoved before serving. Ground cinnamon is a staple in baked goods -- asprinkle makes even a simple bowl of oatmeal smell great and look incrediblyappetizing.

Often paired with cinnamon and nutmeg,cloves are dried flower buds that are sold both whole and ground. They have awarm, sweet flavor that works great with both sweet dishes and savory classicslike clove-studded ham. Keep them whole and grind them yourself directly beforeusing for the most potent flavor.

Although coriander（胡荽） is the seed of the leafy herbknown as cilantro or coriander, the flavor is totally different. Even peoplewho can’t tolerate cilantro appreciate the unique tangy flavor of driedcoriander when it’s present in an Indian curry or used as a marinade or rub forfish, meat, or poultry.

Something would clearly be missing in allkinds of dishes fromMexico,India, and the Middle East if the cumin（小茴香） was omitted. The toasted seeds can be used whole in dishes andeaten as is or be ground right before use. Pre-ground cumin loses its potencyquickly, but can be helped by toasting first in a dry skillet over medium-lowheat.

There are many ways to use this pepperyroot from fresh to dried and ground to pickled or crystallized. Each of thesepreparations adds unique flavors and textures to everything from stir-fries toroasted meats to the classic ginger snap. Most fresh ginger should be peeled(try peeling with a soup spoon to easily get around the bumps) and eitherminced and added while cooking or grated and squeezed for its spicy juice nearthe end. Dried ground ginger is a favorite in many baked goods, but can also beused to add a sweet and hot note to savory dishes as well.

Both powdered and prepared mustard（芥末） are great to have around to addheat and a piquant flavor in sauces, dressings, marinades, and entrees. Wholemustard seeds are often part of the mixture of pickling spices, but are also akey part of many Indian curries where they are toasted in oil first until theypop. This releases a pungent and burning gas that only hints at the heat andflavor within these tiny seed.

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