Origanum vulgare.

True oregano — the pure, the original, the wild subspecies that grows spontaneously on the arid hills of Greece, perfuming the dry summer air of the Cyclades and the Peloponnese with every step. Where Italian oregano offers a rounder, milder flavour shaped for the cuisine of southern Italy, the Greek strikes with an almost biting intensity — peppery, warm, lightly pungent — that immediately dominates whatever dish it joins. It's the one the Greeks and Romans celebrated under the name origanum, from oros (mountain) and ganos (joy), "the joy of the mountains" — the one Hippocrates considered one of the most precious medicinal plants, and the one whose exceptionally high content in carvacrol and thymol (the phenolic compounds responsible for its perfume) is the subject of modern scientific studies for its antimicrobial properties.

A perennial 30 to 60 cm tall, with a bushier and slightly more spreading habit than Italian oregano, bearing small oval downy grey-green leaves, covered in summer with spikes of white flowers — flower colour, incidentally, is one of the simplest ways to distinguish it from common pink-flowered oregano. It's the aromatic soul of Greek cuisine: indispensable to souvlaki and gyro sprinkled at the moment of serving, to the traditional Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta, olives, olive oil, oregano), to fire-grilled fish, to olive oil and lemon marinades, to Greek-style potatoes roasted in the oven with garlic and broth, and to yogurt tzatziki. A few pinches are enough — its power is such that you often need to use two or three times less than ordinary oregano.

Grower's tip: Germination identical to Italian oregano — sow very finely on the surface without covering, light needed for emergence, mist rather than water to avoid washing the tiny seeds away. Indoor start 8 to 10 weeks before transplanting. Slightly less cold-hardy than Italian oregano — count on zone 5 reliably, zone 4 with a well-drained spot and a light winter mulch. Like all oreganos, it gives the best of its perfume on poor, dry soil; soil too rich dilutes the essential oils and produces larger but less aromatic leaves. Harvest just before flowering for the best flavour, and dry in hanging bundles — Greek oregano keeps its intensity through drying even better than most herbs.

• Open-pollinated. Hardy perennial (zone 5, sometimes 4 with perfect drainage and winter mulch). Insect-pollinated; little risk of crossing with other oreganos in a home garden.
• Height: 30 to 60 cm.
• Maturity: harvest possible 2 months after transplanting; peak production in the second and third year.
• Exposure: full sun.
• Poor to ordinary soil, well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline. Tolerates drought well, hates standing moisture. Space plants 30 to 40 cm apart.
• Start indoors 8 to 10 weeks before last frost, on the surface without covering. Transplant once all risk of frost is past. Self-seeds in the right conditions.