Aromatic Seeds and Tropical Spices

A diverse group united by the fact that the flavoring comes from seeds, roots, rhizomes, stigmas, or pods rather than leaves or bark. Includes the workhorses of Indian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American spice blends (cumin, coriander, cardamom), the world’s two most expensive spices (saffron, vanilla), and several of the most chemically unusual flavorings in the kitchen (asafoetida, fenugreek).

Carrot family seeds (Apiaceae)

Seeds with distinctive ridged surfaces containing aromatic oil in canals beneath the ridges. Many of these plants also provide culinary herbs from their leaves.