Which plant part can I use as a spice?

I have already described what a spice is in a previous blog post. But which parts of a plant are used as spices?

Yes, today I limit myself to the plants as spices, even if, in my opinion, spices don’t always come from the vegetable kingdom ?

Various parts of the plants can be used as a spice

Actually all parts are used, but not all of each plant. Sometimes only the fruit is used, sometimes only the root. And then there are the very special ones, where the thickened juice is processed.

Here is a small (incomplete) list:

 

Flower bud:

• Cloves: are the flower buds of a tree, the buds are harvested by hand shortly before opening.

Tuber:

• Onions: are well-known even in our country.

 

Bark:

• Cinnamon: is the dried bark of the cinnamon tree. The outer layer is removed but from the second onward it is used as a spice. The pieces of bark are rolled into each other by hand to form the cinnamon sticks that we know.

 

Leaves:

• Coriander leaves: they are similar to parsley leaves. But only in appearance and not in taste. You can also use coriander seeds, but they have a completely different taste.

 

Fleshy fruit:

• Vanilla: a climbing orchid that produces flowers that bloom for only one day and produce a bean-like fruit.

 

Dried fruit:

• Pepper: the fruit of a weed. From the “Piper nigrum” black, green, white and red pepper is extracted.

 

Seeds:

• Nigella: not to be confused with cumin or Indian cumin

 

Root:

• Horseradish: better known in northern countries, hot.

 

Floral organ:

• Saffron: Only the 3 stigmas of the flower are used, which are harvested by hand.

 

Rhizome:

• Ginger: is a perennial plant that has been used for thousands of years. Its taste is lemony-fresh but also pungent.

 

Secretion:

• Asafoetida: the name comes from the Persian language where “aza” = mastic and from the Latin where “Foetidus” = stinking. The resin is extracted from the root and the stem.

 

Flowers:

• Roses: for cooking or tea

 

I am fascinated again and again by how diverse our nature is and how many possibilities it offers us.

Do you know any other parts of plants that are used as spices? I am happy about every new info.