# Marjoram in chili? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123 "2020-02-18T20:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/1 "2020-02-18T20:41:13Z")
I’ll be making chili soon and have noticed marjoram in just a couple of recipes, one of them from the BBC website. So how about it, anyone like it in chili? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/2 "2020-02-18T20:54:10Z")
I"ve never tried it, but I can see that as both oregano and Mexican oregano (which from a different family than Mediterranean oregano) give many chili recipes and powders it that herbal kick, and marjoram certainly is in that same flavor ballpark (with marjoram actually being in the same family and genus as “regular” Mediterranean oregano.) ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/3 "2020-02-18T21:02:29Z")
Thanks Pulykamell, I knew you’d have something to say. I thought marjoram was an important part of the dish and I was going to buy more, but I got to looking online and was surprised to see it’s not often used. _(I wonder where the BBC recipe got the idea.)_ Unless someone has something good to say about it, I might just skip it. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/4 "2020-02-18T21:41:00Z")
It would never occur to me to add marjoram to a traditional red chili. I could perhaps see it working better in a tomatillo based green chile/chile verde and/or with verdolagas. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/5 "2020-02-18T22:22:28Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Thanks Pulykamell, I knew you’d have something to say. I thought marjoram was an important part of the dish and I was going to buy more, but I got to looking online and was surprised to see it’s not often used. _(I wonder where the BBC recipe got the idea.)_ Unless someone has something good to say about it, I might just skip it. Yeah, the main flavors of chili are the powdered chilies, the cumin, and garlic, though oregano is commonly used as well, though a faint accent rather than a strong flavor. You’d be fine in skipping oregano (or in this case, marjoram). I associate marjoram strongly with Central European cuisine, being used fairly commonly in my mother’s Polish cooking, as well as various German sausages like weisswurst or types of bratwurst. I can see it working but, yeah, it’s certainly not usual. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/6 "2020-02-18T23:00:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, the main flavors of chili are the powdered chilies, the cumin, and garlic, though oregano is commonly used as well, though a faint accent rather than a strong flavor. You’d be fine in skipping oregano (or in this case, marjoram). I associate marjoram strongly with Central European cuisine, being used fairly commonly in my mother’s Polish cooking, as well as various German sausages like weisswurst or types of bratwurst. I can see it working but, yeah, it’s certainly not usual. Oregano is in the standard chili powder spice mix blends, such as McCormick’s. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/7 "2020-02-18T23:12:33Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Oregano is in the standard chili powder spice mix blends, such as McCormick’s. Sure. No argument there. Gebhardt’s (which to me is the standard bearer of chili powders) has it as well. But you can get away with not using it, while you can’t get away with not using the other ingredients I mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/8 "2020-02-18T23:22:41Z")
dup of below ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/9 "2020-02-18T23:23:50Z")
It should also be noted that chili powder in the US is typically a blend of spices, and not simply powdered chiles, as it is in other parts of the world. There is sometimes some confusion about this. American “chili powder” is usually a mix of powdered chilis, cumin, garlic, and oregano. There can often be other spices (like paprika – which is just another type of chile pepper, really – black pepper, onion powder, sometimes spices like cloves or cinnamon or even chocolate , depending on the blend) but the first four is the usual base for Texas red chili, and I’m pretty sure Gebhardt’s (which is one of the earliest commercial chili powder producers) only uses those four. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/10 "2020-02-19T00:05:04Z")
In Moscow, I make my own chili powder. It consists of sweet paprika, cumin powder, ground garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, sea salt, and a shot of ground cayenne pepper. Works fine; tastes just like Carroll Shelby’s commercial blend. If I’m out of oregano, I’ll substitute marjoram, no problemo. The vegetables get seasoned with blend of freshly ground black, red, and white peppercorns as they’re sauteed in corn oil. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/11 "2020-02-19T00:25:31Z")
Marjoram is related to _European_ oregano, not _Mexican_ oregano. As **puly** noted above, they ain’t the same spice. Just go buy Mexican oregano and fuck the Brits. Asking them for a chili recipe is like asking the New York Times for a guacamole recipe. Besides, they spell chili with an extra “l.” Bloody wankers, the lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/12 "2020-02-19T00:56:54Z")
bullshit. Oregano is an integral flavor in a bowl o’ red. In mine at least. I usually use twice as much oregano as cumin. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/13 "2020-02-19T01:02:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Just go buy Mexican oregano and fuck the Brits. Asking them for a chili recipe is like asking the New York Times for a guacamole recipe. Besides, they spell chili with an extra “l.” Bloody wankers, the lot of them. I know the English refer to chile as “chilli,” but do they screw up the spelling of chili con carne in a similar way? I don’t hold it against them, because it’s not their food culture. However, I will start referring to steak and kidney pie as “stake and kidnee pye.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/14 "2020-02-19T01:11:19Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > bullshit. Oregano is an integral flavor in a bowl o’ red. In mine at least. I usually use twice as much oregano as cumin. Yeah, it sounds like your chili is unusually oregano heavy. I’ve seen recipes where the oregano is completely omitted; I’ve never seen recipes where the cumin, say, is omitted. (And many chili recipes double down on the cumin; For example, the recipe on the back of Gebhardt’s bottle has 1T of chili powder and an addition 2 tsps of cumin, with no additional herbs or spices. And, honestly, I can’t really make out the oregano in the powder itself.) But, of course, do chili the way you like it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/15 "2020-02-19T01:12:27Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I know the English refer to chile as “chilli,” but do they screw up the spelling of chili con carne in a similar way? According to the [graphic](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8007081.stm) in the middle - yes. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/16 "2020-02-19T01:15:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it sounds like your chili is unusually oregano heavy… Hey, I got a Greek wife. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/17 "2020-02-19T01:18:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Marjoram is related to _European_ oregano, not _Mexican_ oregano. As **puly** noted above, they ain’t the same spice. > > Just go buy Mexican oregano and fuck the Brits. Asking them for a chili recipe is like asking the New York Times for a guacamole recipe. Besides, they spell chili with an extra “l.” Bloody wankers, the lot of them. But the thing is, most of the recipes I’ve ever seen for chili don’t specify Mexican oregano, so I have to assume Mediterranean oregano is the one that’s typically used, no? I tend to use Mexican, but if I’m out of it and don’t feel like running out to the store, I use Mediterranean. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/18 "2020-02-19T01:27:40Z")
Where were the authors of said recipes from? That will tell you which they meant. If they aren’t from the Southwest, they mean the wrong oregano. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/19 "2020-02-19T01:53:18Z")
I don’t make chili so often that I keep Mex oregano on hand, and I use the Greek stuff. Am I missing out on a major flavor treat? I LIKE Greek oregano. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123/20 "2020-02-19T01:55:33Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I don’t make chili so often that I keep Mex oregano on hand, and I use the Greek stuff. Am I missing out on a major flavor treat? > > I LIKE Greek oregano. Mexican oregano has a “brighter” flavor and smell to it – like a bit of citrus or something. European oregano are more “earthy” and, I dunno, “spicy” to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marjoram-in-chili/848123.md?page=2)