ABSTRACT
Origanum (wild marjoram, oregano, Mexican sage, Origanum vulgare, Labiateae, Lamiaceae), is a herbal plant, which according to mythology, was planted in a crevice of a mountain by the goddess Aphrodite. The name Origanum is derived from two Greek words; oros means mountain and ganos means joy; it is a herb of joy. It grows wild on hillsides of Mediterranean countries. Oregano has been a popular herb especially in Mexican, Italian and in Greek cuisine. Oregano was cultivated in southern Finland in the 1600s, and nowadays it is one of those rare herbal plants which grows wild in Nordic countries, it is also a popular decorative plant in flower gardens and in the yards of Finnish summer cottages. It grows wild on the islands of archipelagos of the Baltic Sea and fishermen have always used it to season a special delicacy made from Baltic herring.
