Oregano is a fragrant herb used to flavor foods, especially in Italian, Greek, and Mediterranean cooking.
From Italian “origano,” from Latin “origanum,” from Greek “origanon.” The Greek name may mean “mountain brightness,” from “oros” (mountain) and “ganos” (brightness, joy).
The name probably means something like ‘mountain joy,’ hinting at how this herb once symbolized happiness and health. So when you sprinkle oregano on pizza, you’re adding a plant that people once saw as a little piece of bright hillside.
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