Oregano

Origanum vulgare is a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is native to temperate Western and South western Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.

Oregano is related to the herb marjoram, sometimes being referred to as wild marjoram.

Oregano has purple flowers and spade-shaped, olive-green leaves.

It is a perennial, although it is grown as an annual in colder climates, as it often does not survive the winter

Many subspecies and strains of oregano have been developed by humans over centuries for their unique flavors or other characteristics.

Tastes range from spicy or astringent to more complicated and sweet.

Oregano is a culinary herb, used for the flavor of its leaves, which can be more flavourful when dried than fresh. It has an aromatic, warm, and slightly bitter taste, which can vary in intensity.

Good-quality oregano may be strong enough almost to numb the tongue, but cultivars adapted to colder climates may have a lesser flavor.

Factors such as climate, season, and soil composition may affect the aromatic oils present, and this effect may be greater than the differences between the various species of plants.

Among the chemical compounds contributing to the flavor are carvacrol, thymol, limonene, pinene, ocimene, and caryophyllene

Oregano's most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its popularity in the U.S. began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the "pizza herb", which had probably been eaten in southern Italy for centuries.

There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried, or grilled vegetables, meat, and fish.

Oregano combines well with spicy foods popular in southern Italy. It is less commonly used in the north of the country, as marjoram generally is preferred.

The herb is widely used in cuisines of the Mediterranean Basin, the Philippines, and Latin America, especially in Argentinian cuisine.