In the middle Ages, physicians used oregano to cleanse the brain and improve the eyesight, as a cure for indigestion and the bites of spiders and scorpions. Few single flavors are more evocative of the sunny, spirited cooking of the south than oregano, yet the flavor and strength of this wild marjoram plant vary widely according to climate and habitat. Unless you can buy it where it grows, however, oregano is rarely available fresh so, if possible, buy it dried on the stalk and, for the best flavor, make sure it comes from a hot, dry country like Italy.

Countries of origin:
Southern Britain, Mediterranean countries, Asia and North America. It also grows wild in Mexico where it is known as Mexican Sage.

Types of oregano:
The Spanish type of oregano is the most important source of the essential oils. Origanum has often been confused with the thymus varieties but is readily distinguished from the latter which contains high phenol content, mostly carvacrol.

Spanish oregano oil has been profiled by Heath as having a very strong initial impact, strong but light, fresh and clean odor, warming but later cooling, eucalyptus like, sweet, spicy, slightly floral, and strongly persistent, with a dry, spicy aftertaste.

The Oleoresin of oregano is a dark, brownish-green, semi-solid to very viscous liquid with a volatile oil content of freshly ground and dried oregano, in flavor and aroma characteristics.
Available fresh in countries of origin, dried on stalks or dried crushed leaves and ground.

Identification:
Leaves and top of hardy, flowering wild marjoram plant, a perennial growing to about 2ft. Spreading plant bearing white and pink flowers in midsummer.

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