Herbs

The term herb is both culinary and botanical. To a chef, herbs are flavoring ingredients derived from the leaves, stems, and sometimes flowers of aromatic plants. To a botanist, herb is short for herbaceous plants, which have soft, green, non-woody stems.

This is in contrast to woody plants that have sturdy stems, like trees, shrubs, and vines. Both meanings overlap because most culinary herbs come from herbaceous plants (hence their name). Learn more about what herbs are and how they differ from spices.