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Spices and herbs quiz

Explore familiar flavors and the plant parts they come from. Learn how herbs differ from spices and when delicate aromatics are best added. Each round reshuffles the questions and choices.

Difficulty
Length

Questions and choices are shuffled every round. The note appears as soon as you answer.

What you'll learn

  • Distinguish leafy herbs from spices made from bark, seeds, buds, and fruits
  • Recognize common herbs such as basil, mint, parsley, and cilantro
  • Identify cinnamon, cloves, cumin, star anise, and pepper by their source
  • Understand the flavor difference between numbing Sichuan pepper and chili heat
  • Decide when delicate herbs are best added to a dish
  • Separate plant-based seasonings from mineral salt

Study guide

Understanding Which Parts of Plants Spices Come From

Basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, and shiso are valued for the aroma of their leaves and are commonly classified as herbs. Cinnamon comes from tree bark, while peppercorns and cumin come from fruits or seeds. Cloves are flower buds, ginger and turmeric are rhizomes, and saffron comes from the stigmas of a flower. Knowing which part of a plant a spice comes from helps you avoid mistakes, like thinking cinnamon is a type of leaf.

Salt is a mineral, not an herb. Five-spice powder and curry powder are blends of multiple ground spices, unlike a single bay leaf. Curry leaves, on the other hand, are actual leaves, so you can't substitute curry powder using the same measurements.

Knowing When to Add Spices During Cooking

Delicate fresh herbs don't handle heat well, so cilantro, mint, and basil are often added just before serving. Rosemary and thyme hold up better during cooking, so you can add them earlier and remove the stems at the end. Whole spices and aromatics like star anise, cinnamon sticks, and lemongrass work well in braising liquids or spice sachets because they're easy to remove after cooking.

Many aromatic compounds dissolve in oil, so gently heating spices in oil helps bring out their flavor. If they turn black, they'll taste bitter. Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, and nutmeg are especially potent, so it's better to start with a small amount than to add too much at once.

Telling Similar-Looking Spices Apart

Black peppercorns are dried with their outer skins intact, while white pepper is usually made by removing the outer layer. That's why white pepper is less likely to leave dark specks in light-colored soups. Pink peppercorns often come from a different plant altogether; they're not simply black peppercorns that have ripened and changed color. Both saffron and turmeric can turn food yellow, but they come from different plants and can't be substituted in equal amounts.

The green wasabi paste sold in tubes is often made with horseradish and coloring, rather than fresh wasabi. Dry mustard powder needs to be mixed with water to develop its pungency. If the water is too hot, the enzymes responsible for that sharp flavor may not work as well.

Storing Spices and Preserving Their Flavor

Whole seeds and pieces of bark keep their flavor longer than ground spices because less of their aromatic compounds are exposed to the air. Keep spices in tightly sealed containers, away from heat and moisture, especially near the stove. Once ground, spices should be used as soon as possible for the best flavor.

Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh herbs, so you can usually use less of them. However, don't automatically apply the same substitution ratio when switching to a different herb. If a vanilla bean has split open and lost its aroma, it's probably old—not a different kind of bark.

Answer preview

Answer A spice made from bark

Cinnamon is a spice made from dried tree bark. Herbs usually refer to leafy plant parts, while seaweed and dairy are different food groups.

Answer Leaves

Basil is a leafy herb. Its leaves carry the familiar aroma, which can fade during long cooking.

Answer Leaves

Mint leaves contain aromatic oils that create its cooling impression. Mint is not used as bark or a mineral seasoning.

Answer White pepper is usually dehulled, while black pepper is dried with its outer skin

Black pepper is generally dried with the fruit’s outer layer, while white pepper is processed to remove that layer. This changes its appearance and flavor.

Answer Dried flower buds

Cloves are dried flower buds. Their rounded head and narrow stem-like base reflect that shape; they are not bark or salt crystals.

Answer Yes

Table salt is mainly sodium chloride obtained from mineral deposits or saltwater. It is not a plant leaf, although it is used to season food.

Answer Remove the tough leaves from the soup

Bay leaves infuse a dish with aroma but remain tough after cooking, so they are usually removed before serving.

Answer Small curved seeds

Cumin is commonly sold as small, elongated seeds, whole or ground. It is not typically used as a leaf, bark, or fresh flower.

Answer A dried, star-shaped fruit

Star anise has a distinctive star-shaped dried fruit with a strong aroma. It is not a leaf, salt, or dairy product.

Answer Cinnamon

Basil, mint, and parsley are leafy herbs. Cinnamon is a spice made from bark.

Common questions

No. The questions focus on which part of the plant a spice comes from, its flavor, and when to add it during cooking. Scientific names won't be tested.

There's no single correct amount. The questions simply highlight spices that are especially easy to overdo, such as star anise, cloves, and nutmeg. In practice, the right amount depends on your personal taste.

The ingredient quiz focuses on the main ingredients themselves, such as vegetables, rice, eggs, and beans. This section focuses on whether a spice's aroma comes from leaves, bark, seeds, or flowers, and whether it should be added early or late in the cooking process.

Not always. Even when their colors or aromas seem similar, different spices can come from different plants, vary in flavor intensity, and work better in different dishes. For example, both saffron and turmeric can give food a yellow color, but their aromas, flavors, and recommended amounts are different, so they can't be substituted for one another in equal amounts.