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Herbs and spices can make a meal sing by boosting or blending flavors to create a taste experience.

Spices are generally considered plant materials that are whole, broken or ground and used for flavor, not nutrition. Herbs are most often leaves of plants. These leaves can be used fresh or dried, while spices are almost always dried.

Whether they are herbs or spices, these leaves, seeds, fruits, buds, stems or bark of plants and trees often have a long history of use to boost flavor. Herbs and spices also can help lessen the need for salt and fat in many recipes.

Here are a few common examples and ways you might use them in your next meal.