Spices do much more than impart flavor. Spices and herbs have also been used for centuries as preservatives, colorants and medicinal remedies
what is a spice?
according to the american spice trade association (asta), englewood cliffs, nj, (http://astaspice.org) the proper definition of spices, as opposed to herbs or botanicals, is "any dried plant product used primarily for seasoning purposes." this definition includes a wide range of plants - tropical aromatics, leafy herbs, spice seeds, roots, dehydrated vegetables and spice blends
in the past, the leaves and seeds of temperate-zone plants were known as herbs, while the term spice denoted tropical aromatics only. over time, this classification shifted, so that in general, the term spice now covers a whole range of elements - spices, herbs, blends and dehydrated vegetables. the fda's definition of spices, however, does not include dehydrated vegetables, so these require separate labeling in a product, as do any color-contributing spices such as paprika, turmeric or saffron. the usda has much the same rules as the fda, but also requires that onion and garlic be listed as "flavors."
prior to the early 1800s, spices were available in whole form only, and it was up to the user to grind them. today, we have whole spices, ground spices, seasoning blends, which may be a combination of several spices and several forms, and spice extractives. spice extractives include essential oils (volatile aromatic fractions); oleoresins (derived by solvent extraction of the whole spice, including volatile and non-volatile fractions); liquid solubles (oleoresins plus solubilizing agents to create a liquid seasoning); dry solubles (oleoresins plated on a dry carrier); encapsulated spices; standardized oleoresins; and wonfs (essential oils plus other natural flavoring materials).
