Spices are aromatic plant parts, used to improve the taste of food. Most spices originate from tropical and subtropical lowlands. They played an important role in the motivation of the exploration journeys in the 15th and 16th century, which had the intention to win the trade monopoly for these crops. In 1602 the Dutch established the United East Indian Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) for this reason. Before that the trade was in the hands of the Arabs, who imported their products overland from the Far East.

The aromatic properties of spices are the result of the presence of volatile or essential oils (see there) in fruits and seeds. Spices from the New World include chillies, red pepper, Capsicum annuum; and bird chillies, Capsicum frutescens, see Capsicum annuum, both fruits of small shrubs (Spices 2); vanilla, Vanilla fragrans, the fermented fruits of an orchid; and piment, Pimenta dioica, the dried berries of a tree. All other spices originate from the Old World, especially from Asia (Spices 3; Spices 4).

Well-known spices from the Old Word are:
- pepper, Piper nigrum, the dried fruits or pepper corns belong to the oldest known spices;
- cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum;
- Chinese cinnamon or cassia buds, Cinnamomum cassia (see Cinnamomum zeylanicum), and
- Padang cassia, Cinnamomum burmanni (see Cinnamomum zeylanicum), are obtained from dried bark;
- cloves, Eugenia caryophyllus, are unopened and dried flower buds;
- nutmeg and mace, Myristica fragrans, are the seed and the dried aril of a tree fruit;
- ginger, Zingiber officinale;
- turmeric, Curcuma domestica; and
- greater and lesser galangal, Languas galanga, and Languas officinarum, (see for both species Elettaria cardamomum) are dried roots;
- cardamoms, Elettaria cardamomum, are dried fruits.

Other well-known flavourings are:
- mustard, Brassica alba, Brassica nigra, Brassica juncea;
- horse-radish, Armoracia rusticana (see Raphanus sativus);
- capers, Capparis spinosa;
- laurel, Laurus nobilis, see Cinnamomum zeylanicum;
- wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, see Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium;
- tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, see Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium;
- southernwood, Artemisia abrotanum, see Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium.

Another group of flavours are kitchen herbs like: hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis; spearmint, Mentha spicata; lemon balm, Melissa officinalis; basil, Ocimum basilicum; marjoram, Origanum majorana; rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis; sage , Salvia officinalis; summer savory, Satureja hortensis; and thyme, Thymus vulgaris, all from the Family Labiatae or Lamiaceae (Mint family); and celery, Apium graveolens; dill, Anethum graveolens; chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium; caraway, Carum carvi; cumin, Cumimum cymimum; coriander, Coriandrum sativum; parsley, Petroselinum crispum; fennel, Foeniculum vulgare; lovage, Levisticum officinale; and anise, Pimpinella anisum, all from the Family Umbelliferae or Apiaceae (Parsley family). These herbs do not originate from the tropics and are therefore not called ‘spices’. See also Kitchen herbs.