Oh, Sweet Marjoram of Life, I’ve Found You

Oh, Sweet Marjoram of Life, I’ve Found You

You almost certainly have a favorite herb. Each of us has a preference for whatever the reason. I’ve a few I really appreciate above the rest, including lavender leaves and chervil. But, perhaps my most favorite is marjoram.

The confusion between marjoram and oregano is real and can be honestly made: they look so much alike even produce professionals and some cooks can’t often tell the difference.

Part Of The Problem

There is some real sound reasoning to the confusion between marjoram and oregano. They both share the genus Origanum, which helps not.

Marjoram is segregated further between sweet marjoram, Origanum majorana and wild marjoram, Origanum vulgare. Of the two, we use sweet marjoram in the kitchen: wild marjoram is for medicinal use.[1]

So, that distinction aside, how now do we tell the difference if they are so similar? Well, marjoram has the tell-tale flower buds and a decidedly different aroma and flavor. Sniffed apart from each other the difference may seem negligible, but side by side, I find them distinct.

What To Do? Buy Fresh

Today, the grocery store is teaming with freshness that wasn’t available a few years ago. From FL to NJ and OR, I’ve found that the stores all carry fresh packets of herbs. I’ve also found that they, too, suffer from nomenclature idiocy. (As an aside and support for this, I recently purchased fennel which flummoxed the clerk, for fennel was not in her book. It was listed as anise [it is not] and turmeric was misspelled to omit the first R.)

Some herbs are okay, passable at best says I, when dried. I find with the access at the stores and the ground providing warmth for seeds, no one should suffer the absence of fresh herbs. And, for me, marjoram simply does not have its charm when dried. It is, at that point, the similarity to oregano is most apt.

But, But, But…

The canister at your local food-opolus reads Oregano. But, it has the tell-tale flowers forming. That, dear reader, is marjoram. Buy that. Find a recipe (see below) but buy it.

Between the two, marjoram has the similar bold notes oregano has, but it is tempered with a wee bit of pine. Marjoram is grace and class to oregano’s boorishness and stumbly-bumbly character. Marjoram pairs well with many red meats, but I find it seems best with game meats. Root vegetable play well with a bit of marjoram. So too do many of the classic Mediterranean veggies, such as eggplant, fennel, carrots (okay, not just French), zucchini and tomatoes. But, my all time favorite pairing of marjoram is with cheeses. I put it in my white pizza topping and the following recipe for gorgonzola cheesecake. The fat of the cheese and the subtle yet proud flavor of the marjoram is just a delight.

It’s All Greek To Me

So many of the herbs and spices we use have roots far into the past. The Greeks used wreaths of marjoram at weddings and funerals and Aphrodite was said to be quite fond of marjoram. They, the Greeks, called marjoram “ ‘Joy of the mountains’” and used it to cure rheumatism.[2]

You Say You Want To Grow It?

I’ve oregano in the garden outside. It came with the house. I’ve had great success in the past growing oregano. In fact, it is hard not to grow it. It is as mint which will take over.

Marjoram is, as I read it, harder to grow. It is a perennial, has small seeds which ought to be started indoors and then transplanted outside after the risk of frost has passed.   Check with your nursery for more details, but if it can grow, it is well worth having it on hand for the summer and fall harvest of yummy.

Drying your garden herbs is pretty easy (yes, I just said use fresh) and is better tasting than the high heat dried stuff from the store. Simply lay the herbs out on newspaper until they are fully dried and collect the leaves which have fallen off into an apothecary jar. Gently remove the rest of the leave and store together. Add the stems to your first autumn fire.

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When you have the dried leaves, use them in your mix for a homemade batch of herbs de Provençe. Then, make focaccia.

[1] Rodale Press, Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, 1987, pg 373.

[2] Rodale Press, Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, 1987, pg 373.