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Here's a handy guide to the most important herbs and spices to have on hand when you start putting a kitchen together with the intention of cooking. You can always add more over time, but these are the ones that are guaranteed to tickle your taste buds and woo your guests! I've included some conversational tidbits about the history of some of these spices,too.

Garlic comes first. I like to have some fresh garlic on hand. Buying it already minced in a jar is fine. I also keep garlic powder on hand. If you enjoy Chinese, Italian and Mexican foods, garlic is a must. The spice originated in central Asia and there are references to suggest that is has been around more than 5000 years. The Egyptians worshiped it and fed it to their pyramid builders. The Greek athletes even ate it, believing it gave them strength.In the U.S. it was first grown by French settlers around New Orleans, but it was the missionaries to took it to California, the main grower of garlic in the U.S. today. Stock up. You'll never have enough.

Second to garlic, onion. Fresh, granulated, powdered. They all add a lot to even the simplest dishes. Again, have some fresh onion on hand, but always stock some powdered onion as well. It was good enough for King Tut (they found some in his tomb!), so it should certainly be on your shelf, too. Even Christopher Columbus wouldn't travel without it and brought a stash with him to America.

Salt. Period.

Pepper. There are so many kinds, but if you're starting out with spices I've got two suggestions. Black pepper is an essential spice. It's actually the berries that are grown on vines that can reach ten feet tall! Most of the growing goes on in parts of Asia, especially India. There's white pepper, green and pink peppers, but black is your basic, tasty add-to-everything pepper. What a history its got,too. Alexandria and Venice are said to attribute much of their economic success to pepper, and in the Middle Ages pepper was used to settle debts, It was exchanged as a currency in rent and dowry transactions,too. As a second, extra tasty pepper, I would recommend chipotle. It has a rich, smoky flavor that just rolls around in your mouth.

Dill is another must-have. Though its indigenous to the Mediterranean and southern Russia, today it is grown in the U.S. and India. The word comes from the Norse word "dilla" which means "to lull". Its been used in places such as Scandinavia to lull colicky babies to sleep.Wonderful for fish dishes, anything with cucumbers, dips, sauces,etc.

Cinnamon

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