On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 775

Tuscanytoflavorpork,mushroom,and
artichokedishes.“Koreanmint”comesfrom
ananise-flavoredAsianmemberofthemint
family,Agastacherugosa.
Oregano There are about 40 species in the
MediterraneangenusOriganum,mostofthem
low,shrubbyinhabitantsofrockyplaces.The
name comes from the Greek for “joy (or
ornament)ofthemountains,”thoughwehave
noevidenceabouthowtheGreeksenjoyedit.
OreganowaslittleknownintheUnitedStates
untiltheriseofthepizzaafterWorldWarII.
Oregano species easily form hybrids with
each other, so it’s not easy to sort out
identities.Theimportantthingforthecookis
that they come in a range of flavors, from
mild to strong and penetrating. The
penetrating quality comes from the phenolic
compound carvacrol. Greek oreganos are
typically rich in carvacrol, while milder
Italian,Turkish,andSpanishoreganoscontain


more thyme-like thymol and fresh, green,
floral,andwoodyterpenes.
Mexicanoreganoisanentirelydifferent
plant,variousspeciesoftheMexicangenus
Lippia,amemberoftheverbenafamily.
Somevarietiesdohaveahighcarvacrol
content,somemoreresemblethyme,and
somearemorewoodyandpiney.Theyall

haveasubstantiallyhigheressentialoil
contentthantrueoregano(3–4%inthedry
leaf,vs.1%),andthereforeseemstronger.
Despiteitsname,Cubanoreganoisan
Asianmemberofthemintfamily,
Plectranthusamboinicus,withfuzzy
succulentleavesandagooddoseofcarvacrol.
It’snowwidelycultivatedthroughoutthe
tropics;inIndiathefreshleavesarebattered
andfried.
Perilla or Shiso Perilla is the leaf ofPerilla
frutescens,amintrelativenativetoChinaand
India. It was taken to Japan in the 8th or 9th