ABSTRACT
Since antiquity, spices, herbs, and condiments have been considered virtually indispensable in the culinary arts. They have been used to flavor foods and beverages the world over. Spices can be grouped according to the parts of the plant used: leaves (bay and laurel); fruits (allspice, anise, capsicum, caraway, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, paprika, and pepper); arils (mace); stigmas (saffron); flowers (safflower); seeds (cardamom, celery seed, fenugreek, mustard, poppy, and sesame); barks (cassia and cinnamon); buds (clove and scallion); roots (horseradish and lovage); and rhizomes (ginger and turmeric). Most of the spices and herbs contain volatile oils, called essential oils, which are responsible for the characteristic aroma of spices. Some spices (capsicum, ginger, mustard, pepper, and horseradish) are pungent, while paprika, saffron, safflower, and turmeric are valued for their colors. Many spices have some antioxidant activities (Chen et al., 1999). Rosemary and sage are particularly pronounced in antioxidant effects. Cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed, and garlic contain antimicrobial activities (Firouzi et al., 1998). Some spices have physiological and medicinal effects. Spiced foods contain substances that affect the salivary glands (Pruthi, 1980).
