How to Match Food With Herbs and Spices (5 Steps)

Spices and herbs play an important role in creating delicious dishes. Once you start incorporating a few spices and herbs into your dishes, your food will impress everyone. Here is a listing of the top herbs and spices and the foods they match. Print this page so you will know how to match food with herbs and spices.

Instructions

    • Allspice: Use whole in pickling and simmering meats. Use ground for cakes, puddings, fruit preserves and relishes.
    • Anise: Coffee Cakes, Sweet Rolls, Cookies, Candies, and Sweet Pickles.
    • Bay Leaves: Use in pickling, stews, vinegars, soups, fish, tomato mixtures and pot roasts.
    • Caraway Seed: Rye Bread, Sauerkraut, Cabbage, pork, liver, and some spreads.
    • Cardamom Seed: Pastries, Breads, Coffee Cakes, Sliced Oranges, and Cookies.
    • Cassia: Use whole in pickling, preserving, puddings and stewing fruit. Use ground in mincemeat.
    • Cayenne: Meats, Fish, Sauces, Egg Dishes, and Cheese Dishes.
    • Celery Salt: Fish, Eggs, Potato Salad, Salad Dressings, Soups and Bouillon.
    • Chili Peppers: Use whole in pickling. Use broken/sliced in Soup, Stews and Chowders.
    • Chili Powder: Chili, Mexican Dishes, Shellfish, Cocktail Sauces, Stew Seasonings and Corn.
    • Cinnamon: Whole Sticks: Used in pickling and preserving. Use ground for cakes, cookies, and bread toppings, fruit toppings.
    • Cloves: Use whole with roast pork or ham, pickling of fruits. Use ground in baked goods, soups, stews and puddings.
    • Coriander: Use whole with Pickles, Apple Pie, Soups, Gingerbread, Cookies, Cakes, Biscuits, Stuffings, and Green Salads. Use ground in sausages and pork.
    • Curry Powder: Meat, fish, Eggs, Chicken, Soup, French Dressing, Clam and Fish Chowder.
    • Dill Seed: Pickling, Sauerkraut, Salads, Soups, Fish and Meat Sauces, Gravies, and Green Apple Pies.
    • Fennel: Fish, Pastries, Apple Pie, Sweet Pickles, Candies.
    • Ginger: Use the root in Pickling, Chutneys, and Applesauce. Use ground in Cakes, Puddings, Pies, Cookies and Canning Fruit.
    • Mace: Use Blades for Fish Sauces, Pickling, Preserving, Fruit Jellies, and Gingerbread. Use ground in pound cakes, chocolate dishes and stews.
    • Marjoram: Use the leaf with Lamb, Stews, Soups, Sausages, and Poultry.
    • Mustard: Use dry in Meats, Sauces, and Gravies.
    • Nutmeg: Use in Baked Goods, Sauces, Puddings, and Vegetables.
    • Oregano: Tomato Dishes, Chili, and Pork.
    • Paprika: Shellfish, Fish, Salads, Garnish on Eggs.
    • Sage: Meat Stuffings, and Pork Products.
    • Turmeric: Pickles, Meats and Eggs.
  1. Special Things You Can Do With Leaves

    • Angelica: Leaves and Stalks can be roasted or boiled and eaten in salad.
    • Anise: Leaves in salad or as garnish.
    • Balm: Leaves or shoots can be used to flavor summer drinks and salad.
    • Basil: Dried leaves can be used in soups and stews.
    • Borage: Young, tender leaves can be used in salad. Older leaves can be cooked as greens.
    • Dill: Young leaves can be used as seasonings, or in salad.
    • Fennel: Use leaves for a garnish.
    • Hyssop: Use sparingly in soups and stews.
    • Mint: Use leaves in beverages, desserts, and sauces.
    • Sweet Marjoram: Use fresh leaves in salads. Use dried leaves for a rub on meats.
    • Tarragon/Estragon: Tops used in greens.
    • Thyme: Dried leaves are used in soups, sauces, stuffings, with poultry and veal.