They consist of rhizomes, bulbs, barks, flower buds, stigmas, fruits, seeds, and leaves. They are commonly spoken of loosely as herbs, spices, and spice seeds. Herbs are the fragrant leaves of plants like marjoram, mint, rosemary, and thyme. Spices are the highly esteemed, fragrant or pungent plant products of tropical and subtropical regions, the dominant species of the trade including cloves, ginger, and pepper.
Spice seeds are the tiny aromatic fruits and oily seeds of herbaceous plants including cumin, fennel, poppy, and sesame.
Herbs, spices, and spice seeds are employed as adjuncts to impart flavor or piquancy to foods. In the small quantities used to prepare culinary dishes they have little or no nutritive value, but they stimulate the appetite, add taste to food, and delight the gourmet.
Greece is famous for its unique herbs and spices.
The supreme quality of Greek herbs and spices reflects the country’s long sunshine periods and the abrupt changes in the landscape. This special landscape makes Greek flora so rich, that from the 7500 different species of plants growing in Greece, 850 of them are found exclusively here.
In Greece, someone can find the best herbs in world level as well as some of the best qualities of spices.
- Herbs like the Greek Camomile;
- Mountain Tea;
- Tilio (infusion of lime leaves);
- Sage and Basil are considered the best in the world;
- Spices like the Greek Sesame;
- White Sesame;
- Machlepi and Cumin are considered among the best in the world;
- In this category, last but not least, the most valuable spice in the world, the Greek Red Saffron, the king of the spices!
