Oregano: The Herb That Came Home from the War

The “joy of the mountain” is now the “star of the slice.”

Image by Helga from Pixabay

There is a weed in my garden. Some of you know it as the pizza herb; others might add it to Mexican enchiladas, stir it into the marinade for Greek grilled chicken, and toss it (with wild abandon) into spaghetti sauce.

But in my life, oregano is more than a simple herb that appears here and there. She is boundless, unhampered, a free-spirited brazen hussy of an herb!

But I love her.

One plant purchased 20 years ago has introduced herself into almost every nook and cranny of my flowerbeds. Despite frigid winter chills, spring deluges, summer droughts, and year-round visits by resident deer and bunnies, our oregano not only survives, it thrives. And in my worldview, wherever a “good” plant exists, that is one less place for a dandelion to take root.

Like the fragrances of rosemary and garlic, the scent of oregano, with its hint of lemon and black pepper, is deeply evocative of the Mediterranean. In fact, the name oregano comes from the Greek “oros,” meaning mountain, and “ganos,” meaning joy — oregano is the “joy of the mountains.”

Long before it flavored pizza, oregano was steeped in teas and mashed into poultices. Hippocrates used it as an antiseptic and a remedy for coughs and digestive woes — a reminder that this herb has always done more than taste good.

In ancient Greece, oregano wasn’t just a culinary staple — it was a symbol of joy and protection. Brides wore it in their wedding wreaths, and gardeners planted it near doorways to keep misfortune at bay.

Oregano blossoms | Image by Katharina N. from Pixabay

From Greece to the shores of Italy, to France, and even to the northern reaches of England, oregano carpets the landscape.

However, it was a virtual unknown in America. It didn’t gain popularity in the U.S. until the end of World War II. It is said that soldiers returning from the war had fallen in love with the tangy pizza sauces of Italy, and with “pizza-mania” came an increase in the purchase of dried oregano in the United States. I’m not talking about just a slight bump in sales; would you believe 5,200 percent?!

Yes, oregano is definitely the “pizza herb.” It seems pizza sauce just isn’t right without that familiar rustic flavor. And although fresh oregano can add a bright note to green salads, it is really best used dried — one of the few culinary herbs that become more flavorful when dried.

If you take a moment to look closely at an oregano stem, you will notice something unusual — the stem is square-shaped, not round. Know what that means? Oregano is a member of the mint family. No wonder it has traveled so far.

But, Don’t Get Confused

Not all oregano plants are created equal. What is sold as “Mexican oregano” is actually from a different botanical family (Lippia graveolens) — it’s the dried leaf of Mexican marjoram or Mexican wild sage.

Keep in mind that “Mexican oregano” is a bit stronger in flavor than Greek (or Spanish) oregano, therefore:

• If your recipe specifically calls for Mexican oregano, you should use it
• Know that if you use Mexican oregano in place of Greek oregano, it will have a stronger, more pronounced flavor.

Growth Requirements

• Botanical name: Origanum vulgareis
• Type of plant: perennial
• How to cultivate: easily starts from seeds, but can also be propagated from cuttings
• Where to plant: good for container gardening, but also happy with other plants in the garden
• Light requirements: Full sun
• Water requirements: Doesn’t need as much water as other herbs
• Pinch back or trim to keep compact — it can grow to at least 2 feet in height
• Soil: loamy
• USDA hardiness: 3–10
• Pests and diseases: root and stem rot, aphids, spider mites

Mmmm! Pizza | Image by Aline Ponce from Pixabay

At the start of this article, I teased you with the story of soldiers coming home from the war, hungry for Italian pizza with oregano-flavored sauce. Do you always rely on pizza sauce from a jar? Fuhgeddaboutit! This recipe (which, of course, uses dried Greek oregano) is simply too easy. You have no excuse not to make this in your kitchen.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir several times while it simmers so that it doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.

And now that you have this amazing (and simple-to-make) sauce, let’s build a pizza. Make the dough. You can do this!

Super Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

This is the pizza crust that you need when there is no time to wait for the dough to be kneaded, proofed, punched down, shaped, and rested once again. This is your quick-and-dirty pizza crust. It won’t have the billowy bubbles of raised pizza dough or the cracker-like snap of proofed and thinly rolled dough, but it will do in a pinch.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (232 degrees C.)
2. Place warm water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over and stir just to moisten. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir quickly to mix thoroughly. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 10 times. Divide the dough in half and place each half in the center of a lightly greased 12-inch pizza pan. Press or roll the dough to the edges. (A lightly-floured pizza roller makes this a cinch!).
4. Top your pizza as desired and bake 15 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese and sauce are bubbling.

But when you have a little more time, why not make the “real thing”? Making yeast dough really isn’t difficult. I’ll give you step-by-step directions, and here is also a video.

Traditional Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Let it stand about 10 minutes or until bubbly.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well (depression) in the flour, add the yeast/water mixture, the remaining 3/4 cup warm water, and the olive oil. Mix with your hands (or a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough paddle if you are lucky) until a rough dough forms.
3. Lightly flour a work surface. Plop the dough down into the middle and begin kneading. It should take about 6 to 8 minutes to achieve a dough that is smooth and elastic. Place this beautiful clump of dough into a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover it with a kitchen towel and place it lovingly into a safe, warm place. It should take about 1–2 hours for it to double in size.
4. Note: If, like me, you live in a house that is frequently/always chilly, you can find a safe abode for your dough by doing this:
5. a) Turn your oven on to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C.) or the lowest setting it will go to. b) Wait 30 seconds. c) Turn off the oven and then use THIS as the place for your dough to rise.
6. Punch down the dough. Knead 1 minute. Now you can use this perfectly smooth, elastic dough to make two 12-inch pizzas.

Oregano’s rise from Mediterranean hillside herb to American pantry staple is a story of taste, timing, and postwar nostalgia. When troops returned from Europe craving the tang of Italian pizza, oregano leapt into the mainstream — and it’s stayed there ever since.

Sprinkled on a slice or stirred into a sauce, oregano reminds us that food memory is powerful. It shapes what we cook.

Oregano —she’s everywhere now, and dinner wouldn’t be the same without her.

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