Mexican Oregano vs. Oregano, Compared and Explained

By Erin Marissa Russell

Are you rummy about the differences between Mexican oregano ( sometimes called Puerto Rican oregano ) and Mediterranean oregano ( often just call oregano ) ? We ’ll ruin the facts down for you so you ’re well versed in the difference between Mexican versus Mediterranean oregano .

Mexican Oregano Versus Oregano: Botany

Mexican oregano is a drouth tolerant plant life that ’s native to the dry climates of Central America , Mexico , and the southwest lot of the United States . Mediterranean marjoram number from the Mediterranean , as you may have suspected , as well as westerly and southwestern Europe and Asia .

Mexican pot marjoram is related tolemon vervain , while Mediterranean oregano is a part of the mint family , related to marjoram . Mexican oregano comes from the plant Lippia graveolens , while Mediterranean oregano comes from the plant Origanum vulgare .

If you ’re trying to differentiate between the two plants , Mexican oregano come from a large plant life and has leaves with more toothed edges . A Mexican wild marjoram plant can uprise to give a height of six feet tall , while Mediterranean Origanum vulgare maxes out around two feet tall .

growing oregano

Mexican Oregano Versus Oregano: Taste

Remember that Mexican marjoram is in the same works family as maize vervain ? You ’ll notice the similarity , as Mexican wild marjoram has citrus undertone that blend with its crude flavor . Mexican oregano has a flowered , citrusy taste sensation with a touch of Pimpinella anisum .

Mediterranean oregano has a slenderly gratifying gustatory perception , with blistering or peppery secondary notes .

There is also a textural remainder between Mexican and Mediterranean oregano . Mexican marjoram is a bit chunky than Mediterranean oregano , which comes in a finer form . You may want to grind Mexican oregano a bit with a mortar and stamp , or just dilapidate it in your fingerbreadth , before use depending on your covering .

growing mexican oregano

While Mediterranean oregano is used in Italian and Greek culinary art , you ’re more potential to regain Mexican oregano used in Mexican cup of tea , as the name suggests . You ’ll find Mediterranean pot marjoram used in dishes like pizza pie or alimentary paste , while Mexican Origanum vulgare works well in chili or adobo . Some theatrical role of Mexico use Mexican oregano in salsa . you could even observe Mexican pot marjoram used in té de pais , also called “ country tea . ”

Substituting Mexican Oregano and Oregano

Because of their flavor differences , you should n’t really exchange Mexican and Mediterraneanoreganofor one another in recipes . If you do n’t have Mexican oregano , a better fill-in is marjoram with a second of coriander , or you could substitute in lemon vervain . Marjoram will also work as a substitute for Mediterranean oregano , or you could use thyme , basil , or sage .

Mexican oregano ’s relish is so solid that it can whelm a dish if Mediterranean pot marjoram was supposed to be used . So if you do settle to deputise Mexican wild marjoram for Mediterranean oregano , employ a little less than what ’s called for .

Now you know all about Mexican oregano versus oregano . You ’ve learned about the vegetation of the two plants as well as their habit as culinary herbs , and you be intimate how to sub them . You ’re quick to habituate Mexican and Mediterranean oregano in the kitchen and sleep together the results .