Most people apply the term "spice" quite liberally. Spicy foods. Spice things up. Spice Girls. The word spice is associated with hot, exciting things. And occasionally, bad performing groups.

A spice is actually the seed, shell, fruit, flower part, bud, bark or root of various trees or plants. Typically spices are ground, although they can be bought in whole forms. For example, you can purchase cinnamon as sticks, saffron as strands or cloves as those little nubs.

Spices have always been big talk. In addition to cooking, spices were used to make medicines and perfumes, as well as being used in religious ceremonies, burial rites and crowning royalty.

As opposed to Pokemon cards and Beanie Babies, spices were once the prized possession to be traded. Part of Columbus’ big trip was finding a quick route to countries that traded spices. Instead, he wound up "discovering" America.

Interestingly, the United States is still the world’s leading purchaser of spices. What does that tell you about our cooking?

Seeds are little nuggets or kernels of seasoning that are often included in recipes to add texture and flavor. Seeds can, of course, be ground down for a smoother texture, or they can be toasted to intensify flavor.

A good way to think about the difference between spices and seeds is to imagine apple cinnamon and lemon poppy seed muffins. You can taste the cinnamon in the first muffin, but not feel it when you take a bite. You can both taste and feel the poppy seeds in the second.

Of course, this example is useless if you’ve never had either of these muffins. It might be a nice experiment to try.

Herbs are the leaves of a variety of plants grown in temperate zones. Experienced cooks often prefer fresh herbs, as they yield the most flavor. Many stores now sell kits to grow herbs, making it possible to have a little herb garden right in your kitchen.

For those of us on a tight budget, herbs are also available in dried form, typically as whole leaves or ground up. These tend to lose their flavor faster than fresh herbs, so don’t buy the family size jar if you only plan to use it a few times.

When adding herbs to a dish, add sparingly. It only takes a little to flavor a dish. Follow the recipe for starters, and add from there. This is a good reason to taste test as you go.

So what about the mysterious seasonings? After all, I used the idea for this column’s name.

Seasonings are blends of spices and herbs used as a shortcut to flavor foods. Technically, you could say the pumpkin pie spice I mentioned last week should be called pumpkin pie seasoning. Things like pepper and Worcestershire sauces are considered seasonings.

To help make the flavor last longer, store spices, seeds, herbs and seasonings in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. Refrigerators aren’t a bad idea.

It takes some work to understand how these will affect the foods you make, so have some fun trying things out. Just start slow and taste test often.