A spice can be defined as a seed, root, bark, fruit, or other plant derivative, mainly used for favoring or preserving food. Herbs are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants. The two are often referred to together as herbs and spices to be used in recipes in the various cuisines around the world.
Spices are used in every cuisine in the world to season food, and sometimes to color it or preserve it. Far Eastern cuisines tend to use a range of herbs and spices that grow locally. For other cuisines, spices have to be imported in many cases, and so were very rare and precious in the past.
