On Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 4:31:46 PM UTC-4, cshenk wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > On Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 12:41:21 PM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> > > In article >,
> > > says...
> > > > Subject: Have Your Tastes in Food Changed?
> > > > From: Cindy Hamilton >
> > > > Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
> > > >
> > > > On Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 6:19:33 AM UTC-4, Ophelia wrote:
> > > > > [quoted text muted]
> > > > >
> > > > > I do I don't understand the desperation to cover up the
> > > > > flavour of whatever people are cooking.
> > > > >
> > > > > I use herbs and seasoning and that is fine for us
> > > >
> > > > It's not about covering up. It's about enjoying the flavor of the
> > > > spices. I enjoy plain chicken. I enjoy curried chicken. It's
> > > > all good.
> > > >
> > > You can also use some spices to enhance the natural flavour
> > > of food, so subtly that the spice used can't be tasted let alone
> > > identified. Cumin has that effect in amny stews and soups; a grate
> > > of nutmeg into frying mushrooms makes tham taste more mushroomy;
> > > cardamom invisibly enhances many cakes and milk puddings. A clove
> > > or two infused in the milk used for bread sauce.
> > >
> > > I'm sometimes struck in rfc by Americans using the word"spice"
> > > for ingredients I'd classify as a herb. In UK English herbs and
> > > spices are two distinct groups, the terms are not interchangeable.
> >
> > Depends on the American. In my lexicon:
> >
> > Herb: leaves and relatively tender stems of plants
> > Spice: seeds, bark, pods, roots, and other plant parts
> >
> > Of course, some sort of flavor component is implied. Rice is a seed,
> > but it's not a spice.
> >
> > Cindy Hamilton
>
> Matches. Not sure what to do with lavender or rose flowers though!

I'd say herb. Thinking of lavender in Herbs de Provence.

Cindy Hamilton