Using oregano in cooking

Cooks are quick to point out that no matter what the botanists say, marjoram and oregano, which are sometimes treated as synonymous, are not the same.

Nor are the two varieties of oregano, Greek and Mexican, the same.

Botanists do abide by using the names L. graveolens HBK for the Mexican type and Origanum vulgare L. for the Mediterranean type. The pungent herb gained great popularity in the United States after 1940 when returning G.I.'s longed for the flavor of pizza they had sampled in Italy. Oregano is often referred to as the "pizza herb."

It's a natural for all types of tomato sauces but also goes well with egg and cheese dishes. Oregano and oregano combine to create a special flavor common in the Italian cooking we know so well.

Greek oregano is as essential to pizza as Mexican oregano is to chili powder. You may use the two types interchangeably but using one specifically increases the authenticity of certain dishes.

Use it for your Mexican cooking. Set them side by side and you will quickly see the difference. Mexican oregano has an abundance of what appear to be tiny flower buds and leaves while Greek oregano has a more cut-leaf appearance.

Aside from just tomato dishes, use oregano in vegetable or bean dishes or try fresh leaves tossed into your next salad. Add a bit of Mexican oregano to barbecue sauce or meatloaf for a change of pace. The leaves can either be used fresh or dried. Crushing the leaves before using them, will release the aroma.

Oregano is used in many dishes besides pizza. It is used in meat, liver and kidney dishes, salads, stuffings. Oregano is also used to soups, vegetable dishes and scrambled eggs, pasta sauces.

Mediterranean Oregano, which gained its popularity after the troops returned from WWII, is found in much of Italian cuisine: pizza, spaghetti sauces, and other tomato-based sauces. Mexican Oregano is found in chili powders and adds flavor to chili con carne and other Mexican dishes.

Turkey is the principal supplier of Oregano. It is stronger flavored and more bitter than the Greek variety. The Mexican type has a distinctively different flavor which is less minty, more hay-like and less bitter than the other sources.