Oregano cut

Cut oregano from Altes Gewürzamt from Greece

Cut oregano from Altes Gewürzamt is gently dried Greek oregano, more elegant and peppery than the milder marjoram. Its fragrance makes it a classic in Italian and Greek cuisine, on pizza as well as in tomato sauce.

The cut oregano from the Altes Gewürzamt range is gently dried oregano that retains its flavor for months. As a close relative of marjoram, it is one of the most important herbs in Mediterranean cuisine.

Peppery, savory, Mediterranean

The oregano has a strong, savory scent with a peppery note that distinguishes it from the milder marjoram.

Wherever tomato and olive oil come together, it becomes aromatic and slightly tart, and this is exactly the kind of seasoning associated with pizza. Peppery, savory, Mediterranean – oregano brings Southern Italy and Greece to the plate, and it does so without delay, for this herb does not dwell on long introductions.

It is one of the few herbs that offer more when dried than fresh. The living shoot contains a lot of water and a grassy note; during slow drying, both disappear, and the flavor converges to become rounder, denser, and significantly stronger. This is why there is a tin of it on the shelf in Italian kitchens, while the basil grows in a pot next to it.

Botanically it is called Origanum vulgare, and its name comes from two Greek words: oros for mountain and ganos for luster or adornment – the ornament of the mountains. This variety grows in Greece, and produce from there has always been considered the most potent because the mountainsides receive plenty of sun and little rain.

On pizza and in tomato sauce

Oregano is a Mediterranean classic: pizza, tomato sauces, grilled vegetables, and salads with feta all benefit greatly from its strong flavor.

Its grand entrance is the pizza Margherita, sprinkled generously before baking, as the hot oven releases its fragrance into the tomato sauce's oil. Rubbed briefly between the fingers, it immediately releases scent into the room because the pressure and the warmth of the hands break open the tiny oil glands on the leaves.

It can be added to the sauce right from the start. Its leaves are small, firm, and leathery, so it can handle heat and time, simmering quietly for twenty minutes without losing its character.

It should be added raw to a farmer's salad with feta, where it slowly dissolves into the olive oil, and the same goes for grilled zucchini. The Herbes de Provence belong to the same culinary tradition, featuring the milder marjoram in its place, and further leaves, needles, and seeds can be found among the individual spices and herbs.

Gently dried for Altes Gewürzamt

Good oregano thrives on its oil content, and the more gently it is dried, the stronger the flavor remains within the leaf. This is precisely the quality Altes Gewürzamt insists upon.

Cut means that the leaves have been chopped rather than ground, and that makes all the difference. The finer an herb is ground, the larger its surface area becomes, and the faster it loses exactly what you bought it for. In the cut leaf, the fragrance remains trapped until you open the tin and provide a little help by rubbing it between your fingers.

The ingredient list is also a statement, consisting of only three words: oregano, cut, Greece. A good herb needs nothing more, and that is exactly the kind of produce Altes Gewürzamt selects.

This oregano is part of the range from Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main, and for those who wish to travel further south, there are more connections to be found in the regional cuisine spices. That’s the taste of the south!