Oregano’s Distinct Flavors Are Always in Season

The “pizza herb”--oregano--comes in a variety of flavors, from very mild to downright peppery.

Oregano is native to the Mediterranean and was originally employed as a medicinal herb for relieving sores, insect bites and muscle aches. Today, oregano is a seasoning especially popular in Italy, Mexico, South America, Cuba, Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Spain.

Part of the mint family, oregano encompasses about 20 subspecies of perennial plants. To complicate matters, there are herbs--including the long-leafed Mexican oregano, the succulent Cuban oregano and the minty Oaxaca Mexican oregano--that taste similar to and are often called oregano but are from other plant genera.

Sweet marjoram is often classified as a separate herb. Marjoram is milder in flavor than most oreganos and can be substituted in recipes calling for oregano by using about 1 1/2 times as much marjoram as oregano. It works well in salads and egg, meat and fish dishes.

Sweet marjoram also was used to flavor beer before hops and was steeped as a tea in England before real tea leaves were imported.

Each type of oregano has a distinct flavor.

The variety most often found in American nurseries and home gardens is O. vulgare , also called wild marjoram. It lacks the intense flavor needed for cooking but can enhance salads and add color, though no flavor, to soups and main dishes.

Cultivate the mild-flavored oreganos--common and golden-leaved--for decorative purposes or as a garnish for appetizers, salads and soups. Dittany of Crete, which has small, gray, woolly leaves, is not as pungent as the oreganos and can be added to salads.

For cooking purposes and the best flavor, select Greek or Italian oregano. The Italian oregano, a hybrid of sweet marjoram and wild oregano, has a less peppery flavor than Greek oregano and also is known as pot marjoram.

More than a dozen varieties of oregano are grown in Mexico. The most widely available is Lippia graveolens , a member of the verbena family with a strong, spicy flavor that enhances salsas and chilies.

Growing several varieties of oregano provides a selection of strong-to-mild-flavored leaves. Plant cuttings and root divisions are preferred because seeds may not grow true to their variety. In general, the warm-weather, bushy plants grow from 10 inches to 2 feet high.

Plant cuttings in full sun about 12 inches apart in well-drained soil or raised beds. Allow room for plants to spread. Cut plants back severely two or three times a year. Don’t let plants flower or go to seed.

About once a month, fertilize young plants with fish emulsion. Once plants are firmly established, they need little care, preferring dry conditions and lean soil.

Root-rot and black spots, a fungal disease on the leaves, are the two most common problems.

Oregano can be used fresh or dried. Harvest six-inch-long sprigs before flowers develop, then rinse in cold water. Dry, strip leaves off the stems and chop before adding to recipes.

To air dry, tie sprigs into bunches and suspend, leaves down, in a warm, dark room. Remove crisp dried leaves from stems, and store whole leaves in airtight jars in a cool kitchen cabinet.

Use the dried oregano leaves as a seasoning in pasta sauces, pizza and Tex-Mex dishes.