3 Obvious Reasons Why People Love Herbs and Spices

Several years back I started looking for ways to earn income working from home. Affiliate marketing was suggested and since eating is one of my favorite things, I decided to kill two birds with one stone   Watching a lot of cooking shows on television inspired me and I wanted to learn how to use different herbs and spices in my cooking.  I signed up to become an affiliate marketer for various companies that sell cooking ingredients.  In order to market the products, I learned about them:  how to use the ingredients in various recipes, the medicinal benefits, etc.  There are three awesome things about herbs and spices that I already knew but my knowledge and understanding have been reinforced.  They are the 3 obvious reasons why people love herbs and spices.

• Number One: Spices and herbs can turn everyday meals into a sumptuous fare and make dining with family and friends a very enjoyable and memorable event. Not that sitting down at the table with friends or family and partaking of a bland meal doesn’t have its positives. I mean … you can have great fun with relatives and friends at the table – telling jokes, talking about sports, the weather, etc.  Everything but the food!  Oh, there won’t be any insults.  But there won’t be any compliments dished up either.  They probably won’t look forward to coming over for another meal and will likely make polite excuses about why they can’t attend the next time they’re invited
• Number Two: Spices and herbs help you to develop a healthy respect and appreciation not just for various cuisines but for different cultures. One of my favorite TV cooking shows is “East Meets West” because the aim of the program is to blend the cooking techniques and ingredients of eastern and western dishes to make a fusion cuisine. My interest in learning more about herbs and spices started was because I wanted to use more than just salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, to season my food; and also wanted to make dietary changes for health reasons without having to eat tasteless food. Mind you, there was no excuse for me limiting myself to what one well known American chef referred to as “house seasoning” (salt, black pepper, and garlic powder). In the house I grew up in, my mother used oregano, bay leaf, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, Italian herb blend, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, etc. There were all kinds of herbs and spices in our kitchen cabinet. All used – whenever my mom was doing the cooking. When you have to do your own cooking; you look for easy street. Now that I’m older and wiser and there are lots of cooking shows on television all the time – there’s no lack of inspiration.
• Number Three: Spices have a fascinating history. At one time they were considered such a highly valued commodity that nations fought wars over them.  Indonesia was proclaimed a republic in 1945, and the islands which were formerly known as the Spice Islands are known today as the Moluccas Islands. Discovering these islands was quite an adventure for the explorers.  As a result of their efforts and sacrifice, we can experience the joys of many flavorful and exotic herbs and spices every day because they can be easily purchased online or at our local grocery store.  Even though obtaining them is now very convenient, their availability, not just for cooking but for medicinal purposes, should never be taken for granted.

  * Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals

* * *