Original Greek Oregano

Oregano is a wonderful perennial culinary and medicinal herb. It has long been recognized as one of the "functional foods" for its nutritional, antioxidants and disease preventing properties. The herb, whose name means "delight of the mountains" in Greek, is native to the Mediterranean region.

Botanically, it belongs to the mint (Lamiaceae) family, in the genus; Origanum, and is known scientifically as Origanum vulgare. The plant is a small shrub, growing up to 75 cm in height with multi-branched stems covered with small grayish-green oval leaves and small white or pink flowers.Oregano is widely popular in the Greek and Italian cuisines. Its leaves have a distinctive aromatic, warm, and slightly bitter taste. Their biting intensity varies; for instance, a good-quality oregano is so strong that it almost numbs the tongue.There are many cultivars of oregano cultivated across Europe. However, the influences of climate, season, and soil have a greater influence on the composition of the essential oils than the species variations. Origanum heracleoticum is another Greek variety having a distinctive sharp scent, and flavor.