Oregano

Oregano is native to the Mediterranean and is likely to have originated in Greece, where the ancient Greeks used to feed it to cattle to improve the flavour of the meat. It is closely related to marjoram, both are from the same family, though oregano's leaves are more rounded and the taste is stronger and less sweet then marjoram. Oregano goes brilliantly with basil and, like basil, is an integral part of Italian cooking. The flavour of oregano gets stronger when dried; if substituting fresh leaves for dried in a recipe use twice as much. The little fresh leaves should be pulled from the woody stalk unless used in a bouquet garni.