On Food and Cooking

mortar crushes herbs and minimizes aeration.
Careful chopping with a sharp knife leaves
much of the herb structure intact to provide
fresh flavor while minimizing cell damage to
the cut edges; by contrast, a dull knife crushes
rather than cuts, bruises a wide swath of cells,
and can result in rapid brown-black
discoloration.

Some    Classic Mixtures    of  Herbs   and

Spices

France

Bouquet garni Bay,  thyme,  parsley

Fines   herbes Tarragon,    chervil,    chive

Quatre

épices

Black   pepper, nutmeg, clove,

cinnamon

Herbes  de

Provence

Thyme,  marjoram,   fennel, basil,

rosemary,   lavender