What is the best variety of oregano for culinary use ? somethin strong
Chris
the best culinary type of oregano?
I like cultivars of Greek Oregano. Some are more strongly flavored than others, so we like to take a good sniff (and maybe even a surreptitious nibble -- hey, the more you pinch the more they will grow, right?) before we buy a new one.
My all time favorite was 'Georges Greek', and we lost it several years ago.... so if you ever come across that variety, PLMK!
I like Greek Oregano and find it a bit milder that regular oregano. Maybe just the variety I grew?
could be... the Greek Oreganos that we've tried have all been quite intense, some more so than others. Maybe your "regular" oregano was just exceptionally strong? LOL
If you like strong, spicy flavors, there's a cultivar of oregano called 'Hot & Spicy' with a good peppery kick and a ton of flavor.
Nah, I'll pass on that!
I too vote for Greek Oregano. Don't recall a specific variety, but whatever it is, it's taking over a whole corner of my herb garden. I use it in all kinds of things.
awesome .. I have greek oregano ..
chris
LOL... and how do you like cooking with it? That's the real test of the best culinary variety for you.
Taste is such a subjective thing, and everyone ends up having different preferences with herbs. For example, many people prefer the flavor of English Thyme, and while we do like it, we've found that the more intense flavor of French Thyme suits us better.
lol .. Greek is just the first and only variety i bought .. just lucky its the one that all of you seem to like
chris
We like the Jordanian variety known as 'zatar'. I killed my first plant when I planted it in full sun like a Greek oregano. Zatar apparently likes partial shade or morning sun only.
Cultivation techniques and harvest times make a big difference in the strength of the herb. If you stress the plant a little bit, it will be stronger than if you pamper it.
Herbs harvested in the afternoon generally have a stronger flavour than those harvested in the morning.
Interesting, I always heard to harvest in the am...
wow cool tips ... thank you
chris
Why is it that herbs harvested in the afternoon should have a stronger flavour? I remember hearing that once a long time ago but never knew the reason. I tend to harvest herbs whenever the urge strikes, and I can't say that I've ever really noticed a difference in taste. Then again, I've never been looking for it either...
The way I understand it, if you harvest the herbs in the afternoon, the plants have had the day's sunlight to use for photosynthesis to produce more food/sugar/essential oils in their leaves and fruit. I've read that brix readings tend to be higher in the afternoon than in the morning because of the photosynthesis.
The opposite may hold true for root crops. I haven't read anything one way or the other on roots.
According to Tucker & DeBaggio (_The Big Book of Herbs_), it's a myth that herbs should be harvested either in the morning or late afternoon so the plants will have the best flavor & highest oil content. However, they do note that harvested herbs start deteriorating in flavor "as soon as a stem is removed from an herb plant." Harvesting during the cooler parts of the day rather than in bright sunlight means it's less critical to get the cut herbs immediately into cool storage.
I wonder if Tucker & DeBaggio ever used a refractometer to measure any differences in brix related to harvest times? I'll harvest my culinary herbs whenever I need to cook with them, but I have definitely found the genovese basil more flavourful when harvested in the afternoon versus the morning.
For medicinal herbs, optimum harvest time seems to vary by plant and usage. The ayurvedic materia medicas sometimes specify the time of harvest needed for a particular application.
This message was edited Aug 13, 2006 9:39 AM
Another vote for Greek, don't have a specific cultivar. Tip I got from a Greek Cypriot -- save and dry the flowers. You'll be amazed at the flavor wallop they pack, great for Greek dishes. I use the leaves for Italian dishes.
I started looking for your 'Georges Greek' oregano Critter, and didn't get a hit. I think some wholesale nurseries sometimes slap a name on a plant so it will sell better, just my opinion.
But I did find a lot of interesting reading about oregano, and I copied this-
A gas liquid chromatographic analysis of the essential oils from four new Greek Oregano clones revealed that carvacrol was the predominant constituent in all clones, representing extremely high percentages of the oils (from 79.5% in a clone named Athos to 93% in a clone named Olympus). The thymol content ranged from 0.04 to 0.55 percent among the tested clones. Phenols (carvacrol and thymol) and ã-terpinene and p-cymene were main constituents of the oils. These new clones are considered of superior quality as compared with other oregano cultivars currently grown in Greece. The clone named Olympus was the most efficient of the clones tested, having a high dry weight yield and a crushed oregano product high in essential oil and carvacrol.
So now I'm going to see if I can find the cultivar 'Olympus'!
Thanks for looking, kimmers! I picked it up at Franks, before they went out of business, and I don't remember the name of the nursery that used to supply their herbs. But I've found a couple other oreganos with very bold flavor, so I'm reasonably content. :-) All the same, if anyone ever comes across 'Georges Greek', PLMK!
But for heaven's sake, let us know if you figure out where to get 'Olympus'!!
critter, I've realized that it's HARD to find named cultivars of oregano [ unlike lavender for example] I'll keep looking though and if I find one or the other I will let you know!!
yeah ive done some looking and I never really see a source for named types of oregano.... its always just greek .... italian ... etc
Is there an online source ?
Chris
I too have had the problem of never finding named cultivars of oregano. My best luck at finding anything has been at the local farmer's market, but even then it's only very rarely that they have a variety other than "Greek" or know of a different variety at all. If someone knows of an online source for this information, I would be very interested :-)