Fresh herbs for cooking

Herbs are the leaves of temperate climate plants; temperate climates have summers and winters of similar length. Examples are parsley, chives, marjoram, thyme, basil, caraway, dill, oregano, rosemary, savory, sage and celery leaves. Today, herbs often are used in cooking to enhance the flavor of foods without the addition of extra fat, sugar, or sodium.

Herbs tend to be fresh-looking, small plants (or roots). Cumin is the most popular spice in the world, and coriander (or cilantro) is the most commonly used herb.

Among herbs that every cook should use: basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, thyme, cilantro, parsley, chives, dill, sage, tarragon.

Besides helping flavor foods when cutting back on salt, fat and sugar, herbs may offer additional benefits of their own. Researchers are finding many culinary herbs (both fresh and dried) have antioxidants that may help protect against such diseases as cancer and heart disease.
Fresh herbs for cooking