The Greeks called these fragrant leaved herbs “Brightness of the Mountain” and it is impossible to imagine the cuisines of the Mediterranean and Aegean without their strong, warm, aromatic taste. There are more than 30 species from the Mediterranean and Middle East and often marjoram and oregano are common names that are used interchangeably.
Origanum species are found in the wild in sunny, well drained and often stony places. They thrive in full sun and are stronger flavoured if grown with tough love. Raise the species from seed in spring. Once the plants are established do not over water them. Cut back old growth in spring.
You can harvest the foliage fresh but the flavour is enhanced if you dry it in bunches in a dark, warm, well ventilated place for several days. When dry and crisp, rub the leaves off the stems and store in an airtight container.
Oregano has a more pungent scent than marjoram, with a stronger flavour. The hotter and drier the climate, the more aroma and flavour a variety will have. Sweet marjoram is the type used in cooking, Its aroma is damaged by heat, so use it in uncooked or lightly cooked dishes, or add it at the end. Oregano is a more robust herb and can withstand longer cooking. Both herbs go well with lemon, garlic, wine, meats, fish, salads, Greek and Italian dishes, beans, eggplant, capsicum and tomato based dishes and sauces. They are also used in commercial mixed herbs.
information sourced from The Complete Book of Herbs
I usually only plant oregano – a lovely fragranced herb.
🙂 Mandy
sometimes I have had both growing at the same time 🙂
Oregano is one of my favourite herbs – thanks for introducing to me to a new one as well 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
my pleasure!
my cupboard is never complete if the oregano is missing
it is the one herb I also always have 🙂
I love oregano, it reminds me of Greek potatoes and cheese! 🙂
Now, that sounds like a good plan for lunch tomorrow 🙂
Oregano grows really well for me but I have never tried marjoram.
They both grow well, but I only have one plant growing at the moment as I never get to use it all 🙂
I can never really imagine what marjoram tastes like but I love oregano! It reminds me of marinara sauce!
It is so similar you can barely taste the difference 🙂
Enjoy the weekend, Tandy!
Thank you Pink, you too 🙂
Oregano is one of my favorites. I didn’t know it was so closely related to marjoram though.
They look surprisingly similar when you see them next to one another 🙂
Oregano is a lovely herb, Tandy. Thanks for the info regarding these two herbs. Happy weekend to you. xxx
I love cooking with them both 🙂
I love oregano in everything Italian-inspired! However I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with marjoram. Tried growing some oregano in a pot on my patio, but it’s not doing so well.
some herbs just don’t like pots, or the spot they are in – maybe try and move it?
I think it’s completely dead now–but I acquired it by taking a root section from an existing plant of my mom’s–it may not have liked the shock of being broken apart/transplanted. Herbs are pretty cheap at a local garden store, so I may try again with a fresh and new plant.
that is what I do, just buy a herb seedling pack and plant them 🙂
Does oregano gain a stronger flavor when dried as well??
all herbs get a stronger flavour when dried which is why you need less of them than fresh when cooking 🙂
Lovely – time to sow some, here in the UK!
with the weather you are having, planting should be perfect right now 🙂
I often have Oregano drying, and always include it in my cooking. The Ethnic edge…I love the constant supply in our supermarkets of freshly cut herbs, and instead of putting in the fridge, often place the herb in water in a jar on my windowsill. It keeps longer and is a constant reminder to put it in the cooking pot! x
what a clever idea! I don’t have a windowsill but I like to keep rosemary in my kitchen in a small jar for the aroma 🙂
I have plenty of lovely oregano, now I need to look for marjoram (and find out what it´s called in Spanish!)
if you have a big garden then it is great to have both growing as they do have slightly different tastes 🙂
Tandy, we use lots of oregano, as it grows in our garden, but we’ve never grown marjoram before. I was wondering if you knew what the difference was between the oregano we grow and what the Greeks call rigani – I believe they’re very similar, but not exactly the same?
with all things like this, I turn to WIKI as there are so many species. It is an interesting read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigani#Subspecies_and_cultivars and you can see which one you grow 🙂
Hi Tandy, i also always have to have oregano, however now i am going to try planting it–thanks for info
it grows so well where you live that you will have an abundance of it before too long 🙂