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• As you are getting ready to plan your Thanksgiving meal, you may want to include a dash of oregano into the proceedings (although it’s more of a seasoning for Italian dishes … no matter!) – be like Arthur Ashe, who put it on everything!
• The name oregano comes from the Greek for “joy of the mountain.” It is a member of the mint family, and is often confused (by sight) for its cousin marjoram. Just never confuse it with basil … that swap once sent Alex Trebek over the edge!
• Proof that the herb is hardly new to the human palate: an international team of U.S. and Greek researchers investigated the remains of a 2,400-year-old shipwreck that lies 230 feet deep, roughly half a mile off the coast of the Greek island of Chios in the Aegean Sea. The cargo? Olive oil flavored with oregano.
• Though it may have spent its earliest days as part of a salad dressing, oregano was primarily used more medicinally than for flavoring, such as to sooth aching muscles or heal scorpion stings and spider bites. However, that particular species of oregano may not be the same one we use today.
• Current species are still holding their own, though: in 2003, researchers found that applying a concentrated oregano extract to prepared meats may destroy Listeria bacteria.
• Additionally, researchers at the University of Illinois set out to develop a film made with oregano and soy protein that could be used to cover sausage, candy or other products. “The more oregano extract is added, the more antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits,” said Pruneda-Olguin. “But the films also turn darker brown in color, making them less desirable as a food wrapper.”
• Despite its many positive properties, oregano did not become popular as a food flavoring in the US until after WWII, even though it had been brought stateside in colonial times. And since the Obamas have just planted the first working kitchen garden at the White House since WWII, it is only fitting that they include oregano, which they did.
• Perhaps oregano truly IS the spice of life: in a 1960 Letter to the Editor of Time magazine, there was a suggestion (by a woman!) of how to cure frigidity: “The women that suffer from frigidity need a mere improvement in their daily diet, such as curry powder, oregano, paprika, onions (not onion salt), black pepper and much garlic accompanied by beer.” Hmmm….
• Speaking of beer – yes, you can sometimes find oregano there, too. “Pizza and beer go together like Brangelina. But pizza-flavored beer?” It’s true! (Has anyone tried this?)
• Mistaking marjoram or basil for oregano is one thing, but cannabis? I wish I could find the clip, but for any fellow fans of Spaced out there, I have to bring up this exchange:
Thief 1: Man, you guys gotta take a hit of this, it’s the good stuff!
Thief 2: Wait a second … that’s not weed, its oregano!
Thief 1: How d’you know?
Thief 2: ‘cos I’m a catering student!
• What are your favorite herbs and spices, Flossers? Let us know and we may feature it soon! I might have to go with basil (yes, even over fresh rosemary) which I put on nearly everything. Does anyone have an unusual use for oregano? Please share!
Hungry for more? Venture into the Dietribes archive.
‘Dietribes’ appears every other Wednesday. Food photos taken by Johanna Beyenbach. You might remember that name from our post about her colorful diet.
Comments (31)
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Rosemary? I’ve never understood why anyone would put that stuff near their face. The taste of it is indistinguishable from bread mould.
Oregano on the other hand is edible, though spices really don’t play a part in my cooking. If the food wasn’t good to begin with why put all the salt and pepper and junk like that on it to disguise it? They have refrigerators now, just buy good food to begin with.
posted by Jordy on 11-18-2009 at 11:27 am
Remind me not to eat at Jordy’s place!
posted by Kikadee on 11-18-2009 at 11:46 am
That’s really funny – when I saw the article about oregano my first thought was Spaced as well. :)
posted by Russ on 11-18-2009 at 11:48 am
That’s one of my favorite Episodes of Spaced… Just thinking about it makes me want to pull out my imaginary guns and start mowing down my adversaries…
posted by Jon on 11-18-2009 at 11:57 am
I have tried the pizza beer. It’s good, but not very strong tastewise. Kind of a hint of cheese.
posted by cheygrrl on 11-18-2009 at 12:01 pm
Jordy, if you think that spices are meant to disguise the flavor of whatever you are preparing, then you really have no business cooking food at all.
posted by Admiral Byrd on 11-18-2009 at 12:07 pm
My two faves are cilantro and basil. I eat a lot of Latino/Hispanic type of food, so cilantro is a must have. I could eat it on almost anything.
posted by Bobby on 11-18-2009 at 12:22 pm
Another great oregano line comes from the first Cheech and Chong comedy album where a student turns Billy in to a Narc addressing the class on the evils of drugs. He turns him in because the last bag of pot he got from him was nothing but oregano.
posted by Not a Chef on 11-18-2009 at 12:23 pm
That is by FAR my favorite Spaced episode, too!
posted by M on 11-18-2009 at 12:32 pm
Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme……
posted by malhond on 11-18-2009 at 12:39 pm
Dogpile on Jody! Rosemary is a marvellous herb. We don’t use salt at our house because we know how to use herbs and spices.
posted by Jon on 11-18-2009 at 1:02 pm
Dill is my favorite herb of all time.
posted by Ben on 11-18-2009 at 1:07 pm
The imaginary gun fights work, but only with certain people. AWESOME people, obviously. I’m so happy Spaced is finally in the US format for their DVDs!
I’ll also share the only double-meaning herb sentence you can make, courtesy of NPR: “we’ve having Basil and Rosemary for dinner.”
badaum chish!
posted by Allison Keene on 11-18-2009 at 1:15 pm
Odd use of oregano? Can’t think of any non-food use, but hotdog sandwiches would have to be the strangest recipe. Definitely bachelor food. Bread, two hotdogs cut lengthwise, mayo with powdered oregano. Sounds weird, tastes good! You can use olive oil-based mayo if you really need to feel that this is somehow healthy…
posted by JP on 11-18-2009 at 1:15 pm
I must agree with Ben on the Dill thing. I adore all things Dill. It tastes amazing freash from the garden!!! Dill and Lemon with most anything is just beautiful!
posted by megan on 11-18-2009 at 1:55 pm
I love to put Oregano on my pizza.
posted by ashley.paige on 11-18-2009 at 2:18 pm
Great article! As far as herbs go, I love cooking with both oregano and basil. I grow them both in my garden, also flat-leaf parsley and cilantro.
I think my favorite SPICE to cook with is nutmeg–adds such an interesting flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. I buy the whole nutmeg and grate it on a microplane. SO much better than ground and dried.
posted by bre on 11-18-2009 at 2:34 pm
I’m going to have to go with thyme – it’s amazing with so many dishes, and it’s a really pretty plant. I grew three varieties this year. But unlike Jordy, I like to cook with herbs.
posted by Adrienne on 11-18-2009 at 2:46 pm
I put salt and pepper on nearly everything I eat…to taste of course. How can anyone downplay the importance of salt in their food? Maybe you aren’t using enough…
Favorite herb…dill (try it on eggs)
posted by graham on 11-18-2009 at 4:11 pm
Oregano is also a good decongestant. If you have a cold, steep some fresh oregano in hot water and breathe in the steam. Works for me every time.
posted by AJ on 11-18-2009 at 4:13 pm
Crushed red pepper!!!!!!!!!
posted by Doflitchit on 11-18-2009 at 4:19 pm
Basil is my favorite. Basil and oregano together are the ones I use most… I’m also in love right now with a blend of Provencal French herbs I picked up this summer.
And cilantro- I could eat a lot more of that than I do…
no unusual uses for oregano… soryy.
posted by ann on 11-18-2009 at 4:53 pm
Sorry Jordy, but Rosemary is great. Goes good on potatoes, lamb, and eggs, along with a bunch of other stuff. I love crushed red pepper for the heat, and probably my favorite most unique spice is cardamom.
posted by ian on 11-18-2009 at 6:15 pm
I would say it’s a toss-up between rosemary and cilantro. But in Jordy’s defense I will say that TOO MUCH rosemary can make the dish taste like soap… But I love the smell of lavender, I just can’t think of any culinary use for it.
posted by Vickey on 11-18-2009 at 6:52 pm
Oregano/marijuana was in “Calendar Girls” as well.
Dill is the spice of life!
posted by Dorothy on 11-18-2009 at 7:18 pm
I LOVE Spaced! As soon as I saw the title of this article, I had Daisy’s voice in my head “Orrrregano! Ohh mama! This is the good shit”
posted by sasha on 11-18-2009 at 7:34 pm
I love cumin and cinnamon. But not together. Unless you’re making a mole sauce and then YUM-O.
Cumin is the crushed and powdered seed of the cilantro plant for all you cilantro fans. Different flavor but nice spice! Kind of like how powdered ginger and fresh ginger taste entirely different.
posted by lightlylilly on 11-18-2009 at 10:42 pm
I can’t believe no one has mentioned tarragon. It is amazing in eggs, on seafood all kinds of food. We make wonderful lobster mashed potaoes seasoned with tarragon that is to die for. Just have to go easy with it since it is so distinct of a flavor and can be over powering.
posted by Christina on 11-18-2009 at 11:37 pm
My faves are definitely basil and cilantro. But they aren’t very good dried form, I only like to use them fresh.
posted by Furious Sterling on 11-19-2009 at 12:12 am
@ lightlylilly
since no one has pointed it out yet, coriander is the ball-shaped dried seed of the cilantro plant. cumin has a skinny elongated shape. it’s generally harvested from Cuminum cyminum but some varieties come from completely different plants. just not cilantro.
posted by sara on 11-19-2009 at 3:14 pm
What about the movie A Few Good Men? I love the sceen between Kevin Bacon and Tom Cruise. “What are you going to charge him with? Being in possession of a condiment?” Too funny!
posted by Kelly on 12-2-2009 at 1:27 pm