If an herb is defined as "any plant used for culinary, fragrant, or medicinal purposes," then what is a spice? For indeed, a spice is a culinary tool flavoring dishes in many chefs' kitchens. Also, spices are used medicinally. Ginger, for example, is a carminative used to aid the digestive process. Cloves, with their anesthetic properties are used to relieve the pain of toothaches. Pepper has been used as a digestive stimulant and expectorant. In addition, spices are used for fragrance. In the days of the Roman Empire, cinnamon bark was burned as incense in the temples. Nowadays, cloves are used in potpourris.

Although spices have been used in many ways, most people are familiar with spices from the kitchen and use them to flavor foods. Spices, then, can be more narrowly defined in their role as seasonings. Albert Barker, in his book The Spice Adventure, described the term spice as being "any root, bark, fruit, gum, sap, leaves, or berries of plants or trees used as a flavoring or seasoning." A second helpful definition comes from The Complete Spice Book by Maggie Stuckey. She says spices are "any aromatic part of a tropical plant customarily used to flavor food, plus the dried seeds or fruits of temperate-zone plants used the same way."

Although spices are commonplace in most kitchens today, this has not always been the case. Through the centuries, when supply was low and demand high, spices changed the course of history. For them, piracy flourished, wars were fought, rulers were overthrown and new sea routes and entire continents were discovered and explored. The ease with which we stroll down an aisle in a supermarket and select cinnamon, ginger, cumin, mustard, pepper, cayenne, cardamom, paprika and other spices is a legacy ever so much appreciated!