Chives, more than any other herb, seem to achieve full flavor when snipped with a pair of scissors. Sometimes known as Chinese or Mexican parsley, this is the most commonly used fresh herb in the world. With the exception of Japan, certain European countries and portions of the United States, cilantro is used virtually everywhere. It has no business in a cream sauce or anyplace else that cannot stand up to its brash intensity. It's equally hard to imagine grilled salmon without the trio of dill, lemon juice and butter.
Dill pairs nicely with any and all potato dishes, cold or warm, including potato soup.
We can even go a step farther and say there has never been a root vegetable that didn't come to life after receiving a couple of pinches of this tart herb. It's from the same family as dill, with similar feathery leaves, flower heads and seeds, and an even more pronounced aniseed flavor. In fact, when you pass by a garden where fennel is growing, you'll swear someone nearby has just opened a box of licorice. As it emerges up from the ground, horseradish resembles baby leaf lettuce more than its other relatives. But only the root part gets used in the kitchen.