Oregano
by: Meghan Menard
Where is it from?
It is from the temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and also the Mediterranean region.
botanical information (what dishes it's used in)
you want to harvest the leaves of the oregano plant by cutting 2/3 of the stem to get your herb. also oregano combines well with spicy foods.
common culinary uses (sweet or savory?)
Oregano is an important culinary herb, used for the flavour of its leaves, which can be more flavourful when dried than fresh. It has a warm, and slightly bitter taste, which can vary in intensity. Good-quality oregano may be strong enough almost to numb the tongue, but adapted to colder climates often have a lesser flavor.
health benefits
contains high amounts of Omega-3s, Iron, Manganese, and antioxidants. Its Essential Oil is well known in natural health communities for its antibacterial properties, and it is even being studied by the mainstream medical community.
interesting fact!
popularity in the United States began when soldiers returning from World War 2 brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”. There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried, or grilled vegetables, meat, and fish.