from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Marjoram flowers
www.flickr.com/photos/lindah/4823296047/
Inside and outside France, confusion reigns
when marjoram and oregano are discussed.
As a rule of thumb, fresh marjoram is milder and sweeter than fresh
oregano, with a lighter aroma; as a result, marjoram is more popular in French
cuisine.
However, dried marjoram is stronger than
fresh marjoram and can replace fresh oregano. When dried marjoram and dried oregano
are discussed is there is even more confusion. Suffice to say the French use marjoram in
far more recipes than oregano while Italians use oregano in far more recipes
than marjoram. Oregano is at its most important when flavoring a genuine
Italian Pizza, even more, important than the more well-considered basil.
Antipastpo
Celery, artichoke hearts, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper,
whole cloves garlic, baby corn, mixed olives, baby carrots.
Marinade: wine vinegar, thyme, marjoram, red pepper flakes, agave
syrup, lemon zest
www.flickr.com/photos/veganfeast/3863120599/
The differences between marjoram and
oregano are clear in a blind tasting, but cooks who fail to find one in their
supplies will use the other, and few
will notice since the other will do quite well.
Tradition in French cuisine plays a significant
part in usage, and so the first part of this post deals with marjoram, the more
important of the two in French cuisine.
Marjolaine - Marjoram
or sweet marjoram has been part of Western
recipes since the days of the Romans and Ancient Greeks though it originated in
Asia Minor. The Romans thought it was an aphrodisiac and it was used to brew beer before hops were discovered and also to make a flavored a
wine called Hyppocras. Hyppocras the spiced wine was traditionally linked to Hippocrates,
the famous ancient Greek medical doctor and it is still produced in France.
Originally it was made with red or white wine as the base and had as
its traditional flavoring marjoram, honey,
cinnamon,
ginger,
cloves,
long pepper, nutmeg,
and more. Modern producers of Hyppocras
with different recipes also, of course, attribute their recipes to Hippocrates.
Marjolaine has a mild, warm flavor that
some call citrus, while others relate to pine. It is used to garnish salads,
soups,
sauces, and fish dishes. Chefs have market gardeners who can keep them supplied
throughout the year.
Marjoram on French menus:
Bouillon
de Volaille Marjolaine – A clear chicken
soup flavored with marjoram. A clear,
light soup or broth made with the strained liquids from boiled vegetables and
poultry, distinctly different from those bouillon cubes sold in supermarkets
under the same name.
Beef tongue
Yellow pea puree,
apples, marjoram
www.flickr.com/photos/navin75/7162197420/
Gâteau Marjolaine – None of the herb is used in this cake. The cake has four layers, the first covered with chocolate cream mixture, the second with a buttercream, and the third and fourth layers with praline buttercream covered chocolate cream. The top is the sprinkled with chocolate and the whole cake refrigerated for twenty-four hours before serving. The cake had been intended to be the famous and game-changing chef Fernand Point’s version of the Dacquoise also called the Biscuit Dacquoise, but over the years he spent developing it it became something very different. When Fernand Point introduced the cake in the 1950s, it quickly became an integral part of modern French cuisine.
Gâteau Marjolaine
Fernand Point was the chef behind the revolution that created modern French cuisine. He threw out all the heavy sauces
and reheated dishes of French Haute Cuisine, made lighter sauces, used only the
freshest fruits and vegetables and only cooked to order. The cuisine he
created became known as Nouvelle Cuisine and then modern French cuisine. Fernand Point trained many of the gray-haired eminences of modern France cuisine, including Paul Bocuse, the most famous of
modern French chefs (deceased); The Troisgros Brothers; Alain Chapel (deceased);
Michel Guérard; Alain
Senderens; Michel Bras; Francois Bise (deceased)
and many others who have gone on to train other chefs in France and around the
world. Fernand’s students or their
children are the chefs and owners of nine of the 27 French restaurants that have
three stars.
(I took the description of this cake from the recipe in my copy of
Ma Gastronome by Fernand Point. This copy was reissued in 1994 with a foreword by Thomas
Keller).
Longe de Veau Rôtie, Châtaignes et Topinambours, Jus
Corsé À La Marjolaine - Roasted veal loin, a meaty cut from outside
the ribs. Accompanied by chestnuts
and Jerusalem
artichokes and served with a sauce made with the natural cooking juices
flavored with marjoram.
Courgette &
Ricotta Quiche with Marjoram
www.flickr.com/photos/foodmoods/9607534164/
Saumon
Gravlax, Condiment au Céleri
et Raifort,
Toast à la Marjolaine – Gravlax
salmon accompanied by celery
and horseradish
and served with toasts flavored with marjoram.
Souris
d'Agneau Confite,
Sauce à la Marjolaine - Lamb
shank simmered
over several hours and then served with a marjoram-accented sauce.
Marjoram, both fresh and dried will
accent tisanes, herbal teas, and in French homeopathic pharmacies marjoram
essential oil will be on sale.
Marjolaine - Marjoram or Sweet marjoram in the languages of France’s neighbors:(Catalan - marduix, amàrac or majorana), (Dutch - marjolein ), (German – majoran), (Italian - origano maggiorana),(Spanish - mejorana, mayorana o marjorama), (Latin - origanum majorana)
Oregano
Origan, Marjolaine Bâtarde, Marjolaine Sauvage – Oregano. The French names bastard marjoram (Marjolaine Bâtarde) and wild marjoram (Marjolaine Sauvage) are the sources of more confusion in France as oregano is neither a bastard nor a wild form of marjoram; they are different plants. For French cuisine, oregano is sometimes is seen in French Provencal Cuisine though it will more often be used in prepared foods such as meat pates and sausages. French chefs have to be very careful when using fresh oregano as some will arrive too strong and be unusable, and even lighter tasting leaves must be used very carefully or the herb may take over the taste of a dish.
Sausage,
Pepperoni, Button
Mushrooms, Oregano,
Green Pepper, Onion,
and Fresh
Basil.
www.flickr.com/photos/huddleston/8365497782/
The difference in usage between French
and Italian cuisine is immediately apparent with marjoram in the French recipes,
and oregano in the Italian and Italian-influenced Provencal dishes. But, visit any Pizzeria in Italy (and in
France), and oregano will be included, not marjoram. French sausages such as Toulouse
sausage will also include the stronger-tasting fresh oregano.
To perfume olive
oil or vinegar,
a stalk of marjoram will be used in France, whereas in Italy, it will be oregano.
Oregano in the USA
The plant called Mexican Oregano tastes similar
to the regular Italian oregano but is much stronger. It is often sold in the USA as oregano though,
in fact, the plant is only loosely related. The oregano flavor is stronger since it comes from the family of
Lemon Verbena, and Mexican oregano has similar citrus-like undertones and tastes
more grassy or earthy than true oregano to many. Mexican Oregano is often used
in that well-known Tex-Mex dish, Chili con Carne. (Latin - lippia graveolens).
Greek country salad with oregano, feta cheese and olives.
Photograph courtesy of Amy Stephenson
www.flickr.com/photos/24013072@N05/9145971223/
Oregano in the
Middle East
Syrian Marjoram, Wild marjoram - (Hyssop in the Bible). Syrian Marjoram grows
in Israel, where it is called ezov and Palestine and Jordan, where it is called
zahtar or za’atar. It is a popular flavoring for grilled mutton and is also used to flavor
bread. Its
Arabic name Zahtar or za’atar causes some confusion as zahta or za’atar is part
of a spice group with the same name. In The spice group, zahta or za’atar’s
ingredients are sesame, aromatic thyme, sour sumac, and Syrian marjoram
Syrian Marjoram or Wild marjoram in other
languages:
Arabic: ( zahtar, za’atar - زعتر سوري), (English - hyssop, zahtar za'atar), (Hebrew
– ezov, זתר, מצוי אזוב), (Latin - majorana
syriacum).
More types of Oregano.
Cretan oregano, Turkish oregano, or pot
marjoram in Greek called calledellinikí
rίgani - Ελληνική ρίγανη. Cretan oregano or pot oregano has similar uses to
marjoram, and this may well be the oregano of Ancient Greece. (Latin - origanum
onites).
Greek oregano (not Cretan oregano) is
very, very strong, and can numb the taste buds when fresh. (Latin - origanum
vulgare hirtum).
Thanks for the help with some of the history and names in other languages to Gernot Katzer’s
Spice Pages.
--------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019. 2023.
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
--------------------------------
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