Marjoram information

Information for marjoram in our free herbs and spices resources collection.

Marjoram

Sweet marjoram (Majorana hortensis (M.)) of the Labiatae family, is indigenous to Mediterranean countries and was known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. They cultivated it as a pot herb and used it not only to flavour food but also prized it as a miraculous herb with the power to heal practically all diseases, especially colds and chills. The Greeks felt it a symbol of happiness and that if grown on the grave, the deceased would be eternally happy. Marjoram was one of the strewing herbs once used to give houses a pleasant, clean smell, and it was a favourite in sweet bags for the linen cupboard. Marjoram was popular during the Middle Ages as a medicine and as a culinary herb in England during the sixteenth century.

Now marjoram is grown in central Germany, Hungary, southern France and in the USA. It is also grown in western Asia, South and North America, France, Spain, Portugal, the UK, North Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, China, Russia and India. For many years both marjoram and oregano were known as Origanum majorana L. Today marjoram is identified as Majorana hortensis as a member of the mint family. It has often been mistaken for oregano in botanical description.

The dried leaves of marjoram or sweet marjoram with or without flowering tops in small proportions that constitute the spice of commerce. It is an aromatic herb of the mint family and grows to a height of 30 to 60 cm. The herb develops a large number of leafy stalks with small leaves. The leaves are whole and the large ones are always fragmented. Leaves are light, greyish green and oblate to broadly elliptical, margin entire, reaching about 21mm in length and 11mm breadth. The flowers are small, white or pinkish or red. Essential oil is very strong and of very pleasant fragrance. The highest percentage is found in the leaves, whereas only traces are found in flowers and stalks. Long periods of blooming encourage the accumulation of oil in seeds.

Sweet marjoram is characterized by a strong spicy and pleasant odour. The flavour is fragrant, spicy, slightly sharp, bitterish and camphoraceous. Though a perennial, it is treated as an annual under cultivation. The colour of the dried herb is light green with a slight greyish tint. The whole leaves are small with hairs on both sides of the leaf. When examined under the low power of a microscope, many dot-sized oil glands are seen on the leaf. They yield 3.5% volatile oil.

The colourless oil is obtained from the whole plant, including the square stem, the long leaves, and the white labiated blossoms. The scent is reminiscent of a mixture of lemon and lavender. What is most striking about marjoram is that it has an anaphrodisiac effect, yet in spite of this, it is fragrantly employed in the production of perfumes.

Marjoram is known by the following names:

• English: Marjoram
• French: Marjolaine
• German: Majoran
• Italian: Maggiorana
• Spanish: Mejorana

Other species:

• Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is a perennial herb native to Europe and West Asia and is commonly found in dry places and as hedge banks in England and has been naturalized in the United States.
• Pot marjoram. This is also a Mediterranean plant growing to about 30 cm in height. Pot marjoram is cultivated for its aromatic leaves and is used for flavouring food. The plant is not very hardy and produces white flowers. Its taste is slightly bitter and can be used to some extent for the same purpose as sweet marjoram especially in strong flavoured dishes as with onion, wine and garlic, where the delicate perfume of sweet marjoram would, in any case, be largely lost. In Greece there are no fewer than ten different species of origanum growing wild and they are commonly known as rigani. One of these, known as winter marjoram (Origanum heraclesticum) is sometimes cultivated in gardens. Other species are Origanum smyrnaicum and Origanum paniflorum. Rigani are used with grilled meats and other Greek dishes, but it is almost impossible at present to buy the authentic herb and reproduce exactly the flavour of such dishes outside that country. Another species of origanum commonly known as certain dittany is cultivated particularly on the island of Crete (it is known as dictamo, ditamo, eronatus, stomatochorto and malliaro-chorto) and is used mainly for medicinal purposes though also as a food flavouring.

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