Oregano

Oregano
Flowering oregano
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Origanum Species: O. vulgare
Binomial name
Origanum vulgare L.

Oregano is the common name for a perennial herbaceous plant, Origanum vulgare of the mint family (Lamiaceae), characterized by opposite, aromatic leaves and purple flowers. Another common name for this herb is wild marjoram (Bender and Bender 2005; Herbst 2001). Oregano also is the name used for the leaves of this plant, used as a popular seasoning.

There are other aromatic plants both in and outside the mint family that use oregano as part of their common name. Plectranthus amboinicus in the mint family is known as "Cuban oregano" (as well as "Spanish thyme," "Mexican thyme," or "Mexican mint"). It is as tender, fleshy perennial plant with an oregano-like flavor and odor. Lippia graveolens in the verbena family (Verbenaceae) is known as "Mexican oregano." It is closely related to lemon verbena. Lippia graveolens has a very similar flavor to oregano, but is usually stronger. It is becoming more commonly sold outside of Mexico, especially in the United States. Among other plants sometimes referred to as oregano are included Origanum maru (Syrian oregano or Egyptian marjoram), and O. onites (Cretan oregano or pot marjoram) (Rogers 2004; USDA 2008).

Greek for "joy of the mountain" (herbst 2001).

Description

Lamiaceae, the flowering plant family to which oregano belongs, has about 210 genera and some 3,500 species. Lamiaceae plants are frequently aromatic in all parts and include many widely used culinary herbs in addition to oregano, such as mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, basil, thyme, basil, lavender, and perilla. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, owing not only to their aromatic qualities but also their ease of cultivation: these plants are among the easiest plants to propagate by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage, such as coleus and snow-on-the-mountain. Others are grown for food purposes, but seeds are utilized instead of leaves, such as with chia. The leaves emerge oppositely, each pair at right angles to the previous one (called decussate) or whorled. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with 5 united petals, 5 united sepals.

Origanum is a genus of about several species native to the Mediterranean region east to eastern Asia. The United States Department of Agriculture lists six recognized species for the genus and the following common names: Origanum heracleoticum, Origanum majorana (sweet marjoram), Origanum maru (Egyptian marjoram), Origanum onites (pot marjoram), and Origanum vulgare (oregano). Majoram is another very important culinary herb in addition to oregano.

Origanum vulgare is native to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and southern and central Asia. It is a perennial herb, growing to 20-80 centimeters tall, with opposite leaves 1-4 centimeters long. The flowers are purple, 3-4 millimeters long, produced in erect spikes. Its name derives from the Greek origanon ὀρίγανον oros ὄρος “mountain” and the verb ganousthai γανοῦσθαι "delight in."

Cultivation and uses

Oregano growing in a field.

The subspecies of oregano Origanum vulgare hirtum is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in Greek and Italian cuisines. It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavourful than the fresh..

Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes.

Oregano combines nicely with pickled olives, capers and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs,^{[citation needed]} oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in southern Italy.

Oregano is an indispensable ingredient for Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavour to Greek salad and is usually used separately or added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles.

Oregano growing in a pot.

It has an aromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste. It varies in intensity; good quality is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue, but the cultivars adapted to colder climates have often unsatisfactory flavour. The influence of climate, season and soil on the composition of the essential oil is greater than the difference between the various species.

The related species Origanum onites (Greece, Asia Minor) and O. heracleoticum (Italy, Balkan peninsula, West Asia) have similar flavours. A closely related plant is marjoram from Asia Minor, which, however, differs significantly in taste, because phenolic compounds are missing in its essential oil. Some breeds show a flavour intermediate between oregano and marjoram.

Pizza

The dish most commonly associated with oregano is pizza. Its variations have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries.

Health benefits

Oregano is high in antioxidant activity, due to a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids (PMID 16218659, PMID 12730411). Additionally, oregano has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes (PMID 16218659). Both of these characteristics may be useful in both health and food preservation. In the Philippines, oregano (coleus aromaticus) is not commonly used for cooking but is rather considered as a primarily medicinal plant, useful for relieving children's coughs.

Branch of dried oregano

In popular Culture

Oregano is often used as a comic substitute for marijuana. For example, in The Venture Brothers, Mike Sorayama is given Oregano by his friends, thinking it's marijuana, but turns out to be allergic to oregano.

See also

• Za'atar

References and external links

Bender and Bender

Herbst

Rogers, M. 2004. Pot marjoram. Herbalpedia. Retrieved April 16, 2008.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2008. http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=ORIGA&display=31. Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Genus Origanum L. Natural Resources Conservation Service.

• Flora Europaea: Origanum vulgare
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Origanum vulgare
• Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages: Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.)

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