Oregano: pungent vs savory

[Dickturtle]

I am trying to find a rich spicy oregano that will liven up sauces and penetrate fish and poultry with the flavor of oregano the dried dead leaves of Mexican oregano or the lifeless drab pale green leaves we can buy in Amazonas dont cut it. I am now confronted with buying Turkish oregano which they say is more pungent and Greek is more savory. Give me a break, being more pungent suggests that it is stonger richer flavor? then what does more savory mean. What is the difference between savory and pungent?? I remember deep green oregano I used to buy 30 years ago in Wisconsin, if you used a teaspoon it would overwhelm the sauce. Where is this type of oregano today?

 

[CraigC]

I think savory is relative to flavor and pungent is relative to the strength of that flavor. It is true that dried herbs are more pungent than fresh. Different varieties may be more flavorful than others.

 

[Andy M.]

There are two major types of oregano, Mexican and Mediterranean. Mexican oregano is used in Mexican/Hispanic dishes. Mediterranean is used in dishes from that region.

Turkish vs. Greek is a different story. They both grow the same oregano. There may be slight differences created by soil and weather. Mediterranean oregano grown in Turkey is considered the best.

If you're using dry oregano, buy good quality oregano in small quantities (older herbs lose their strength) and you should get the flavor you want.

 

[Steve Kroll]

For Mediterranean cooking, I like Penzey's Turkish oregano. It's got quite a bit of flavor.

I also grow my own Mediterranean oregano but, to be honest, I think that dried oregano is one of the few herbs that tastes better than fresh.

 

[Andy M.]

For Mediterranean cooking, I like Penzey's Turkish oregano. It's got quite a bit of flavor.

I also grow my own Mediterranean oregano but, to be honest, I think that dried oregano is one of the few herbs that tastes better than fresh.

I agree. I never buy fresh oregano.