Herbs - Oregano : Introduction

 

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) (Catalan: orenga, Spanish: orégano, Portuguese: orégão, Italian: origano) is a spicy, Mediterranean, perennial herb, particularly common 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.


Classification

Oregano (also called: Greek oregano (known as rigani), wild marjoram and mountain mint) is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It means "Joy of the Mountains".


Sensoric quality

Aromatic, warm and slightly bitter. Oregano largely 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.


Origin

Several species of genus Origanum are native to the Mediterranean, all of which are traded as a spice. The influence of climate, season and soil on the composition of the essential oil is greater than the difference between the various species.

The most important species are O. vulgare (pan-European), O. onites (Greece, Asia Minor) and O. heracleoticum (Italy, Balkan peninsula, West Asia). 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 (gold marjoram = gold oregano)

Other Origanum species include:

    * Origanum syriacum is the Bible Hyssop or Syrian Oregano.
    * Origanum laevigatum is the Purple Oregano or Ornamental Oregano.
    * Origanum sativum is the Brazilian Orégano. 

Oregano in cooking

Oregano is a conditio sine qua non in Italian cuisine. It is used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables and grilled meat. Together with basil, it makes up for the character of Italian dishes; see parsley on Italian variants of bouquet garni.

Oregano combine nicely with pickled olives, capers and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in Southern Italy. The plant is less popular in other Mediterranean cuisines, but still important in Spanish, French and Greek cooking.


Pizza

The dish most associated with oregano is pizza, an open pie of bread dough baked with a top of tasty ingredients. Its relatives have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries. According to the legend, the first pizza was made in 1889 when King Umberto and his wife Margherita sojourned in Napoli (Naples). At this time, white bread flavoured with tomato paste was a popular food for the poor masses. To honour the Queen, a local baker devised a richer pie. In addition to the red tomato paste, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves were employed to reflect the colours of the Italian flag. This invention became known as pizza Margherita and spread all over Italy and now, over the rest of the world.

Today's pizza relies more on oregano than on basil, and use a multitude of further ingredients: Ham, sausage, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, artichokes, onion, garlic, olives, capers, anchovies and more make pizza a sophisticated delicacy, although it had once been the poor man's sandwich.

source : hydroponicsearch