The difference between Oregano and Mexican Oregano

 

In this culinary world, oregano and Mexican oregano can often be confused with one another. While browsing the grocery store, searching for any special type of oregano, you may toss the other one in your cart. It is an easy mistake that, when you will be working with a recipe that requires a particular herb and you end up with calls for the other herb. 

At the end of the day, your recipe might not be totally ruined if you use them interchangeably, but these interchanged flavorful and easygoing herbs do bring different things to the table. 

So If you are wondering what makes the oregano and Mexican oregano distinct and why the nuances matter, keep reading ahead.

Difference between the oregano and Mexican oregano

Oregano and Mexican oregano are generally two different types of plants that have quite the same smell, and flavor, nothing more.

The actual difference between oregano and Mexican oregano can be visible at the first sight when you keep them side by side. The Mexican oregano is slightly bigger than the regular oregano. Both of these oregano are different in appearance. If you bring both of them into sandpaper, Mexican oregano would be like 80 grit and oregano would be like 200 grit.

the oregano and the Mexican oregano come from different families. Oregano belongs to the mint and sage family, Lamiaceae, whereas the Mexican oregano scientifically termed the Lippia Graveolens belongs to the family Verbenaceae.

It is an interesting fact that when two of the oregano don’t belong to the same family, Mexican oregano possesses high essential oils that are also found in common oregano. That’s why Mexican oregano has the same flavor and scent as oregano.

Besides, they differ from each other in the form of availability. Common oregano is wildly available everywhere in the form of fresh and dried form whereas Mexican oregano is rare oregano and not found abundantly, they are mostly available in the dried form in the USA.

The next most considerable difference between the oregano and Mexican oregano is that the herbs vary in supply. Oregano is abundantly available everywhere in the market. But Mexican oregano is mostly found in specialty shops, spice stores, and Latin markets.

Coming to the taste,  both oregano and Mexican oregano have similar base flavor profiles. However, it can be pointed out that Mexican oregano is more complementary to Mexican cuisine since it has a stronger and spicier flavor.

Can oregano be substituted in the place of Mexican oregano?

Yes, oregano can be substituted in the place of Mexican oregano in the recipes and in other ways. Adding oregano to the dish makes it less punchy or spicy, but mintier. On the other hand, adding Mexican oregano adds a hot peppery taste to the dish.

If you are using oregano in place of Mexican oregano, you need to just add some coriander to compensate for the difference between the two different flavor profiles. Besides if you want to add the taste of Mexican oregano to your food, you also can bring some epazote leaves instead of oregano.

Marjoram is another substituent for Mexican oregano and oregano that have a lemony and a bit sweeter taste. This woodsy spice has a stronger taste and smell that can add a good taste to your food. So you can add it a little bit at the beginning, and then increase its amount as per the taste you prefer.

Final thoughts 

As you read the article this far, you might have a clear understanding of the difference between the oregano and
Mexican oregano.

So you can differentiate the oregano and Mexican oregano without any problem and can add the right one to your dish to give it the actual taste.