The very similar, but stronger, taste of Mexican oregano (see below) is popular not only in its native country México, but also in the south of the U.S., where it is frequently used to flavour chili con carne (meat stewed with chiles and sometimes beans) or other México-inspired dishes. For this purpose, it is mostly combined with several varieties of chiles and paprika, dried garlic or onion and cumin).
Health benefits
Oregano is high in antioxidant activity, paticularly 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.
Popular culture
In dried form, oregano bears a similar appearance to marijuana. A popular urban legend is the story of an inexperienced person unwittingly purchasing the spice from an unscrupulous dealer instead of the drug. A reference to this was made in passing in the movie A Few Good Men.
Lt. Kaffee: "My client bought and smoked a dime bag of oregano. What do you want me to charge him with, possession of a condiment?"
Other plants called Oregano
Mexican Oregano stems from the plant Lippia graveolens (Verbenaceae) and is closely related to lemon verbena. It is a highly studied herb that is said to be of some medical use and is common in curandera female shamanic practices in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Although only loosely related to Oregano, Mexican Oregano has a very similar flavour, albeit stronger. It is increasingly traded, especially in the US. Its strong aroma makes it an acceptable substitute for epazote leaves if the latter are not available; this wouldn't work the other way round, though.
There is a significant taxonomic confusion about the term "oregano" in Mexican cooking. Several plants are named thus in different parts of México, and there is little clear information about those. Some plants that have been identified as "Mexican Oregano" are Poliomintha longiflora, Lippia berlandieri and Plectranthus amboinicus (syn. Coleus aromaticus), also called Cuban Oregano.
Cite: Wikipedia
source : hydroponicsearch
No comments:
Post a Comment