Spices and herbs have been sought after since the beginning of written history for culinary and medicinal purposes, but many people confuse the terms spice and herb. A spice is the dried fruiting body of a plant, whole fruit, kernel or seed. A spice can also be the dried roots and bark of a plant, where as an herb is generally considered the dried leaves of a plant. There are a few exceptions to these definitions, for example the dried leaves of the fenugreek plant, Methi curry, is considered a spice instead of an herb.
Many of our spices come from faraway places like India and South East Asia or Mexico and the Caribbean. The spice trade that brought these once rare spices back to Europe created huge fortunes for many trading companies. Indeed, the spice trade can be traced back over 5000 years and was instrumental in establishing commerce and trade around the world.
