Does anybody here try to make a point of using “mexican oregano” (Lippia graveolens) instead of standard mediterranean version (Origanum vulgare) in their southwestern/mexican/latin american cooking?
I never even knew there was such a thing as mexican oregano until about 15 years ago, when trying to up my cooking game a bit when making chili. The recipe I selected to follow was rather assertive about the need to use the real stuff, not the version that goes on pizzas. Of course there was none to be had locally, so I made do with that vulgar old world version.
Eventually I found the stuff at Penzey’s and tried it in my chili and in my red and green enchilada sauces. Frankly it seems to make a difference in my chili where the flavor comes through despite high heat levels, and I’ve convinced myself it makes for a much superior enchilada sauce. It seems to add some savory notes, or so I’ve persuaded myself.
As a result I can indulge in herb snobbery when I serve to guests, bragging tongue in cheek about how MY dishes are much more authentic when compared to Taco Bell.
But does anyone else think it really makes a difference? Anybody here use it? If so, any tips or recipes to help highlight this herb?
I have and use both, and use one over the other depending on cuisine. But I’m very inconsistent with my recipes and haven’t ever done a blind comparison.
We have both as well and they are different. I use Mexican whenever I’m doing anything remotely Mexican, Tex Mex or South American. I’ll use “regular” oregano if I don’t have the other, though.
I use both because I worked for a spice/herb distributor. I can smell a difference between them, but once they’re in the dish, I doubt I’d be able to tell a difference. Once I run out of Mexican, I doubt I’ll replace it.
They’re not two kinds of oregano. One’s oregano, the other’s an unrelated herb that was given the name oregano by a colonial power that didn’t have any imagination or tolerance for local language. See also: apple vs pineapple and York vs New York.
That said, they’re somewhat similar, in the way the a lot of dried leafy herbs are similar. I keep both around and do make a point to use the correct one for the food I’m preparing. Eggs, hashbrowns, red sauce, lamb…those get Greek oregano. Picadillo, chili, chile verde with puerco/cerdo…Mexican oregano every time. I just tried each with about 10 minutes between and my Mexican oregano is much more potent and lingering. This could be from inconsistent storage conditions or age so don’t put too much into this assessment.
Interesting thread. I’m kind of an ingredient snob when I make meals, but though I had heard of Mexican oregano, I didn’t know it was actually a completely different herb, and assumed it wouldn’t be different enough from regular oregano to matter. Now I got to get me some.
Oh my. We have three oreganos at home; the two already mentioned as well as Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus), aka Mexican Mint. I use whichever I feel like using on any given day.
A chef-friend gave me a cutting from his Cuban Oregano. It rooted and we have rooted several cuttings as gifts for friends.
Even though we plant fresh herbs every spring, fresh oregano is never in the planting plan. I just don’t care very much for fresh oregano for some reason. When using dried, we go with Greek/Med.
I like it in egg dishes and lamb also. I also get a kick out of picking a bit and asking a friend to ID the plant. They invariably smell it and think “oregano” but it doesn’t look like it, so they’re puzzled.
Dried, we have (or had) Mexican and the Mediterranean kind. I assume we still have Mexican somewhere, and I know we have Mediterranean.
We also have an indestructible oregano plant outside- it’s survived being part of a herb garden for several years, and then about 5 or 6 years of benign and not-so-benign neglect, as well as pretty serious drought, hard freezes, etc…
There is definitely a difference between Mexican and “regular,” when you do a side-by-side sniff test, but (perhaps due to the power of suggestion) they taste similar enough to me in a finished product that I don’t worry about substituting one for the other. I’ll use the correct one for whatever I’m making if I have both on hand.
But I’m more likely to have Mexican around because I am careful to consume foods containing a range of flavonoids that supposedly, according to at least one reputable study, prevent retinal cell death. (I have retinal degeneration so I do what I can to keep my retinas strong.) Mexican oregano is supposed a good source of eriodictyol, so given a choice I’ll stick with on Mexican. (Not that I really think it matters, but what the heck.)
“Cuban oregano,” (Plectranthus amboinicus) - now that’s a completely different animal. I grow the stuff mostly because it’s so easy to do so. But the taste is pretty out there and I wouldn’t use it as a substitute for any kind of oregano. Usually I use it in place of cilantro, not because it tastes similar, but because it fills the same role in a dish. I make a grilled salmon marinade that everyone loves, and p. amboinicus is my secret ingredient.
Usually can’t get the Mexican around here, though I could just order it. I don’t have a great sense of the difference, either kind has to blend in with other spices in the dishes I’d make. If I was making more subtly flavored dishes I’m sure the difference would be noticeable.