Marjoram: The Forgotten Flavoring Herb

Marjoram is a cooking herb that is mostly unknown outside of professional culinary circles. Ask anyone to name the most common herbs and names like parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme usually come to mind (remember the opening lines to Simon & Garfunkel's song, "Scarborough Fair"?). Anyway, I am here to tell you about a herb that will help flavor bland vegetables with some aromatic elements that is reminiscent of sweet pine and citrus. It is mild, like parsley but is closest in flavor and smell to oregano. When preparing dishes that lack much flavor like summer squash or zucchini, throw in some chopped marjoram at the end and it will add a much-needed aromatic detail to the dish. Try it!