name	form	flavor	where used	notes
BASIL	Fresh leaf	Sweet and subtle. with a clove-like aroma	Italy, France	There are more than 50 varieties of basil, including lemon basil, Thai basil, etc.
BAY LEAF	Fresh or dried leaf	Pungent, with a pleasantly sharp almost bitter flavor	Italy, France	California bay leaf is stronger in flavor than Turkish/Mediterranean bay leaf
CHERVIL	Fresh leaf	Delicate, with hints of parsley and anise	France	Used in French fines herbes mixture
CHIVES	Fresh leaf	Mild onion flavor	France, North Africa, China	Includes milder garlic chives
CILANTRO	Fresh leaf and stem	Sharp and tangy, with a peppery, earthy bite	Mexico, Latin America, SE Asia, Spain, Portugal, Middle East	A.k.a. coriander leaf, Chinese parsley; the seeds of cilantro are called coriander
DILL	Fresh leaf	Sweet, yet slightly astringent	Vietnam, France, Greece
EPAZOTE	Fresh leaf; dried	Pungent, pine-like flavor, with notes of licorice and mint	Mexico
HOJA SANTA	Fresh stem and leaf	Similar to tarragon, with an anise or sassafras flavor	Mexico	A.k.a. Mexican pepperleaf; the leaves are often used for wrapping food
HOLY BASIL	Fresh leaf	Hot, spicy, clove-like	Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
LAVENDER	Fresh leaf; dried	Sweet, floral, with citrus notes	France	Most often used in herbes de Provence; the flowers can be used as a garnish
LEMONGRASS	Fresh or dried stalk	Lemony and aromatic	Caribbean, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines
MARJORAM	Fresh leaf; dried	Mild oregano taste, slightly piney	France, Middle East	Used in herbes de Provence and the Middle Eastern spice mix Za'atar
MINT	Fresh leaf; dried	Warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste	Mexico, South America, SE Asia, Italy, Middle East	There are more than 25 different kinds of mint, including spearmint and pineapple mint
OREGANO	Fresh leaf; dried	Aromatic, warm, slightly bitter (Mexican oregano is stronger)	Mexico, Greece, Italy	Includes Mexican oregano
PARSLEY	Fresh leaf and stem	Fresh, cool, mild	Italy, France, Middle East	An essential ingredient in tabbouleh
PERILLA	Fresh leaf; seed (India)	Lemony, minty, reminiscent of basil	Japan, Thailand, Korea, India, Vietnam	A.k.a. shiso (Japan); red and green the the most common varieties
ROSEMARY	Fresh leaf and branch; dried	Bold, piney, almost resinous	Italy, France
SAGE	Fresh leaf; dried; ground	Pleasantly musty, somewhat bitter	France
TARRAGON	Fresh leaf; dried	Sweet, savory, with a hint of licorice	Mexico, France
THAI BASIL	Fresh leaf	Sweet, with anise overtones	Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia	Thai basil is stronger than sweet basil, with a subtle licorice taste
THYME	Fresh leaf and sprig; dried; ground	Spicy, slightly sweet	Argentina, Chile, France