Herb & Spice Matrix

Explore the world of herbs and spices. Select any seasoning to discover its flavor profile, best pairings, and culinary applications across global cuisines.

Herbs & Spices

Basil

herbItalianThaiMediterranean

Essential in Italian and Thai cuisines. Best added fresh at end of cooking.

Flavor Profile

Sweet, peppery, slightly anise

Intensity

Best With Foods

TomatoesPastaPizzaChickenMozzarella

Best Paired With

Common in These Cuisines

ItalianThaiMediterranean

Quick Pairing Tips

🌿

Fresh Herbs: Add at the end of cooking to preserve flavor. Woody herbs (rosemary, thyme) can cook longer than tender herbs (basil, cilantro).

🔥

Toast Spices: Dry-toast whole spices before grinding to release essential oils and deepen flavor.

⚖️

Balance Intensity: Pair herbs and spices of similar intensity. Strong flavors can overpower delicate ones.

Mastering Herbs & Spices

Fresh vs. Dried Herbs

Dried herbs are more concentrated—use 1/3 the amount of fresh. Add dried herbs early in cooking for flavor to develop; add fresh herbs at the end to preserve their brightness.

Toasting Spices

Toast whole spices in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant (1-2 minutes). This releases essential oils and deepens flavor. Grind immediately after toasting.

Classic Herb & Spice Combinations

Herbes de Provence Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Lavender

Garam Masala Cumin, Coriander, Cardamom, Cinnamon

Chinese Five Spice Star Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon, Pepper, Fennel

Za'atar Thyme, Sumac, Sesame, Oregano

Bouquet Garni Thyme, Bay Leaf, Parsley

Italian Seasoning Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme

What Seasoning Goes With What Food

The matrix above links one herb or spice at a time. This is the other direction: start from the food on the counter and read off the seasonings that reliably work with it. The table is the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension fact sheet on herb and spice pairing, which exists for exactly this “what do I put on it” moment.

Seasonings that pair with each food group (University of Delaware Cooperative Extension).
Food	Seasonings
Beef	Bay leaf, cayenne, chili, curry, dill, ginger, mustard, paprika, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme.
Pork	Allspice, basil, cardamom, cloves, curry, ginger, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme.
Lamb	Basil, cardamom, curry, dill, mace, marjoram, mint, oregano, paprika, rosemary, turmeric.
Poultry	Allspice, anise, bay leaf, cayenne, curry, dill, ginger, marjoram, mustard, nutmeg, paprika, parsley, pepper, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme.
Fish	Allspice, anise, basil, bay leaf, cayenne, chives, curry, dill, fennel, ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, tarragon, thyme.
Fruit	Allspice, anise, cinnamon, cloves, curry, ginger, mace, mint, nutmeg, pepper.
Vegetables	Green beans: dill, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano. Beets: allspice, nutmeg. Broccoli: mustard, nutmeg, sage. Carrots: dill, nutmeg, parsley, rosemary, thyme. Cucumbers: basil, dill, parsley. Eggplant: oregano, parsley. Mushrooms: garlic, sage. Peas: marjoram, mint. Potatoes: chives, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, mace, rosemary, tarragon. Squash: cardamom, ginger, nutmeg. Tomato: allspice, basil, cloves, cumin, fennel, marjoram, oregano.
Rice	Chives, cumin, curry, nutmeg, parsley, saffron, turmeric.

Named blends worth keeping on hand

Premixed blends speed up cooking and keep a dish consistent from one week to the next. Assemble them in equal parts unless the ratio is given, then store them away from heat and light.

Classic herb combinations and what they are built for.
Blend or use	Make it from
Fish	Basil, crumbled bay leaf, French tarragon, lemon thyme, parsley (fennel, sage or savory optional).
Poultry	Lovage, 2 parts marjoram, 3 parts sage.
Egg dishes	Basil, dill weed, garlic, parsley.
Salad dressing	Basil, lovage, parsley, French tarragon.
Tomato sauce	2 parts basil, bay leaf, marjoram, oregano, parsley (celery leaf or clove optional).
Italian	Basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme.
Barbeque rub	Cumin, garlic, hot pepper, oregano.
Fine herbs	Parsley, chervil, chives, French tarragon.
Bouquet garni	Bay leaf, 2 parts parsley, thyme — tied in cheesecloth and lifted out before serving.

Using the pairings without overshooting the dose

Two or three seasonings from a row will read more clearly than six. Save the rest for the next time you cook the same thing.
Dried herbs are roughly three times as strong as fresh by volume — 1 tsp dried stands in for about 1 tbsp fresh. The substitution finder converts the rest of the pantry.
Add dried seasonings early so their oils have time to bloom; hold fresh herbs and ground spices for the end of cooking.
Toast whole spices in a dry pan for a minute or two until they smell like themselves, then grind — the flavor fades quickly once ground.
Build the rest of the plate around what is in season — the seasonal guide lists what is worth buying now, and the flavor pairing tool covers pairings between ingredients rather than seasonings.

Sources: University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, “Herbs & Spices — What Goes With What Food” (reviewed August 2025).

Mapping Herbs and Spices by Taste, Not by Food

A flavour wheel groups seasonings by the taste they carry rather than by what they are traditionally sprinkled on. That is the more useful direction when you are holding an unfamiliar jar: place it next to the seasonings whose taste descriptor it shares, and the pairings write themselves. Penn State Extension’s herb and spice pairing chart lists a taste descriptor and a set of partners for each seasoning; the table below is that chart, reordered so the families sit together.

Taste descriptor and partners for sixteen seasonings (Penn State Extension).
Seasoning	Taste	Partners
Basil	Sweet, spicy	Chives, cilantro, garlic, oregano, mint, parsley, rosemary, thyme
Cardamom	Sweet, bitter	Caraway, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger
Caraway	Sweet, bitter	Coriander, garlic, parsley, thyme
Cinnamon	Sweet, bitter	Cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric
Coriander	Sour	Cinnamon, cloves, cumin, garlic, ginger, fennel, nutmeg
Cumin	Bitter, sweet	Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, curry leaves, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, thyme, turmeric
Dill	Sour, sweet	Basil, cumin, garlic, ginger, parsley, turmeric
Ginger	Sour	Basil, cilantro, coconut, garlic, lime, lemongrass, mint, scallions, turmeric
Lemongrass	Sour	Basil, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, turmeric
Mint	Sweet, tangy	Basil, clove, cumin, dill, ginger, oregano, parsley, thyme
Nutmeg	Sweet, bitter	Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, thyme
Oregano	Bitter, savoury	Basil, cumin, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme
Parsley	Sweet, tangy	Basil, chives, garlic, mint, oregano, rosemary, tarragon
Rosemary	Savoury	Bay, chives, garlic, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme
Clove	Sweet	Cinnamon, coriander, curry, fennel, ginger, nutmeg
Mustard seed	Sweet	Bay, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, garlic, parsley, tarragon, turmeric

Read as three loose families, the chart is easy to hold in your head. The warm-sweet group is cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, allspice and ginger; the bright and sour group is coriander, ginger, lemongrass and dill; the green and savoury group is basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. Seasonings inside a family swap for each other cleanly. A blend that tastes finished usually draws one or two from each family rather than three from the same one.

Building a blend you do not have

The same logic answers the pantry question. A pre-mixed blend is a recipe, and Colorado State University Extension publishes the recipe for most of them.

Blend and seasoning substitutions (Colorado State University Extension).
Called for	Build it from
Allspice, 1 tsp	1/2 tsp cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Apple pie spice, 1 tsp	1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp cardamom
Pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp	1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice and 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Italian seasoning, 1 tsp	1/4 tsp basil, 2/3 tsp dried parsley and a pinch of oregano
Fresh herbs, 1 tbsp	1 tsp dried herbs, or 1/4 tsp powdered

Keeping the flavour once you have the blend

Store the blend in an airtight jar, away from light and the heat above the stove. Whole seed pods hold for a year or more that way; ground spices fade in months.
Buy whole and grind as needed where you can. Ground cumin and ground nutmeg lose their character far faster than the whole seed or nut.
Skip dried parsley for a blend you will use raw. It carries very little flavour, which is why the substitution above leans on it only as bulk.
Fresh herbs keep a few days in the vegetable crisper, and stems stand longer in a glass of water. Anything limp or blackened goes out before it flavours the jar.

Sources: Penn State Extension, “Food herb & spice pairing chart” (PDF); Penn State Extension, “Preserving Herbs by Drying”; Colorado State University Extension, “Ingredient Substitutions”.

Related Pairing Tools

Flavor Pairing Finder

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Substitution Finder

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Seasonal Guide

What's in season