Marjoram

  • Marjoram

- Origin
The name “marjoram” came for Arabic “marjamie” which means “incomparable”. Marjoram was well known to ancient Greeks and they believed that it has magical properties. They used to add marjoram to wine, which guaranteed the increase love power, meaning that it was believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac.
It is believed that marjoram came from Asia Minor and Mediterranean. Nowadays it is cultivated in many European counties, China and USA.
In Europe marjoram has been known since the 16th century and it was used as a spice there. In addition it was used in brewing as a substitute for hop. French used it in wine production.

- Varieties
There are two marjoram varieties in the world. The first one is perennial bush that grows in southern countries. The other variety is an annual subshrub with small leaves that is wide spread in Europe. Marjoran that grows in Asia is more aromatic than its European counterpart

- Flavour
Marjoram has a sweet, but spicy scent with a tint of camphor and bitter-burning taste.

- Usage
Marjoram is a spice that can be added to any dish due to its scent. It can be added to soups, salads, sauces and vegetables. Marjoram can be used instead of pepper and many other spices. Marjoram improves the taste of gherkins, pickled tomatoes and vegetable marrows. In Germany marjoram is widely used in salamis, partly because in helps to digest fats. Marjoram makes a good addition to fried pork, roasted ham and duck. It can be added to cold starters, for example French rabbit flesh pate or Italian beef and rice soup. Marjoram can replace oregano in pizzas and pastas.

- Combinations and Substitutes
The taste of marjoram is often compared to that of thyme or oregano, but those herbs do have unique qualities. Although they supplement each other very well, they are by no means interchangeable. Strong scent of marjoram can be combined with equally strong spices, for example, bay leaves, pepper, thyme, rue and wormwood

- Storage
For the best conservation of colour and scent, marjoram should be dried in shadow and stored in a tightly closed container.

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