a name applied in one place or another, but especially in N. America, to many of the aromatic herbs of the group treated at length under marjoram, and certain other plants. However, it is questionable whether the term oregano (or origano, as it is sometimes spelled) should be treated as a plant name. Tucker (1994) has argued persuasively that oregano is best considered as the name of a flavour. He points out that:
vast confusion exists in popular and scientific texts on the correct identity of oregano. This is partly because a multitude of plant species have been called oregano or oreganum, and often these plants are substituted for each other. Most of these plants bear a unifying chemical signature: carvacrol and, to a lesser extent, thymol.
In Tucker's view it is this chemical signature which is intended when the term oregano is used.
Nonetheless, it is convenient to have a list of the numerous plant species involved in this nomenclatural tangle (see box).
The oregano flavour is widely used in the cuisines of Mediterranean countries and Latin America. So far as N. Americans (and many Europeans) are concerned oregano is an essential element in many kinds of pizza and has various other flavouring uses. See, however, marjoram.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
