Ground cloves are used in baking and in sweet desserts. Thyme has a strong and pungent flavor that calls for sparing use. Powdered thyme is an ingredient of many sauces and meat and poultry dishes. Black pepper, garlic, and parsley play multiple roles. Parsley can be either a flavoring or a flavor builder in sauces, soups, and stews.
Fresh parsley is, of course, the universal garnish.
Dried parsley flakes are also available. They have a very different flavor and cannot substitute for fresh parsley in most recipes. Fresh cilantro, also called Italian flat-leaf or Chinese parsley, is another variety with a piquant flavor, often used in Mexican, Italian, and Chinese dishes. It is the plant from which coriander seeds derive. Now let's look at nine spices that are used as often for their distinctive flavors as for general flavor enrichment.