1-2 favourite herb or spice

[shootingstar]

Basil and garlic (if garlic is a spice). If garlic doesn't count, then I'd have to say basil and rosemary.

But it's very hard to choose just two. Who restricted the list to just two? And why?

Just a challenge, tulip. It also gets us to nail down the spice essentials that we feel bereft or after awhile, we pine for if it's not available for cooking a meal.

We could also learn alot from one another on what others do with certain spices that we seldom use.

For instance, I can't taste a dish flavoured by a bay leaf. I mean just what does that actually do for a dish???

Saffron, it's been really rare that I've bought this for cooking. But it's an interesting flavour in: bread...there's a bakery that makes a multigrain saffron baguette , saffron rice pudding or saffron ice cream. Lovely. Other times, I just can't taste it in certain dishes, ie. paella even though I know it's in the dish made by xxx.