Oregano is an important
culinary herb, used for the flavour of its leaves, which can be more flavourful
when dried than fresh. It has anaromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste, which can vary in intensity.
Good quality oregano may be strong enough almost to numb the tongue, but the
cultivars adapted to colder climates often have a lesser flavor. Factors such
as climate, seasons and soil composition may affect the aromatic oils present,
and this effect may be greater than the differences between the various species
of plants. Among the chemical compounds contributing to the flavour are carvacrol, thymol, limonene, pinene, ocimene, and caryophyllene
Oregano's
most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its
popularity in the US began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the
“pizza herb”, which had probably
been eaten in southern Italy for centuries. There, it is most frequently used
with roasted, fried or grilled vegetables, meat and fish. Unlike most Italian
herbs,oregano combines well with spicy foods, which are popular in southern
Italy. It is less commonly used in the north of the country, asmarjoram generally is preferred.
The
herb is also widely used in Turkish, Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Philippine and Latin
American cuisines.
In
Turkish cuisine, oregano is mostly used for flavoring meat, especially for
mutton and lamb. In barbecue and kebab restaurants, it can be usually found
on table, together with paprika
salt and pepper.
The
dried and ground leaves are most often used in Greece to add flavor to Greek salad, and is usually added to
the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some
casseroles.