I have returned from Greece with my most precious import: Greek oregano plucked from the hillside of Corfu.
This spoonful is my secret to authentic tasting Horiatiki (Greek Salad). It is one of the differences between pasticcio and lasagna. And, it is the overall magic fairy dust of my Greek cooking. Each year, one of my father-in-law’s childhood friends from Corfu plucks Greek oregano from the hillside near his house and delivers the tied bundle to our door. We rub our hands together over the dry stalks, removing the stems and releasing the aromatic herb. I pack a small plastic baggy full, tuck it in a corner of the suitcase and smuggle it home for another year’s worth of Greek cuisine in my Chicago kitchen.
As I tuck the suspicious looking plastic bag full of green herb into my suitcase I always wonder if a search at the airport might cause any problems. The truth is I am never singled out. On the contrary. Once on an international flight into Detroit, I was pulled aside and asked if I could assist with the training of new dogs. The customs officers actually put a plastic bag of drugs in my purse and requested that I walk normally through the custom’s gate. The canine trainees were up to snuff indeed… they approached, sniffed and sounded the alarm. The custom’s officers removed their stash and rewarded both the dogs and me for our good performance. My husband on the other hand needs to shave within 2 hours of going to the airport to remove any shadow so that his dark looks don’t result in additional questioning and searches. Conclusion: Red hair, freckled face = innocent candidate to test drug dugs. Swarthy Greek = plan for extra time at the airport.
So, I am back in Chicago and have a good supply of Greek oregano. I would like to treat one of you to a little pinch of the good stuff as long as you promise to use it wisely! If you are interested, just leave any comment on this post. I will randomly choose a winner on Friday and will ship the lucky chef a small ziplock of my Greek oregano.
September 21st, 2010 at 8:54 pm
sounds yummy!
September 21st, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Knowing my luck, if I did win, the package would be opened by the post office because it looks suspicious. I seem to have the luck of your husband on these searches.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:20 pm
ooh how exciting. i’m totally jealous of your trips to greece!
September 21st, 2010 at 9:24 pm
So is Greek oregano significantly different from regular ol’ American supermarket oregano, aside from looking much more gorgeous?
One time when I was an idiotic teenager, I tried to smoke oregano, thinking that something exciting might happen. Needless to say, nothing did, aside from some very excruciating coughing. Much better to cook with the stuff, methinks.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I have been recreating my favorite dishes from Greece since I spent summer there in 2006, perhaps my oregano has been what’s keeping it from tasting the same…
September 21st, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I would love to try some Greek oregano in my cooking……
September 21st, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Red hair, freckled face & a swarthy Greek…..sounds like a striking combination! =]
September 21st, 2010 at 10:26 pm
It’s all Greek to me! I usually head to our local Greek Store called Hellenas Foods in Edmonton. It’s a small, family run business.
I love the fragrant ,dried stalks of oregano straight from the Greek hillsides that make such a difference to the flavour of my favourite dishes.
September 21st, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Now that’s something great to bring back from Greece! I’d love to try it.
I had a similar experience while using a hacksaw to saw through the gummed-up U-lock chaining my boyfriend’s bike to a bike rack on State St. in Madison. Blond haired, blue-eyed girl… no one batted an eye.
September 21st, 2010 at 10:53 pm
I’d love to go to Greece. I hope you had an awesome time. :)
September 21st, 2010 at 11:26 pm
I have only used Mexican oregano and would LOVE to try real Greek oregano. I hope I win!!
September 21st, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Wow, I would love some hand-picked Oregano from Greece!! :)
September 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 am
Opa!
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:34 am
I am quite interested in some. :) Oregano for the win!
September 22nd, 2010 at 6:01 am
Wow! I didn’t even know there was a difference! Is it possible to find in the states if i don’t win?
September 22nd, 2010 at 6:14 am
yummy.
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:02 am
Funny, I’m a red-headed freckle face, too but they ALWAYS stop me! It’s so sweet of you to share part of your stash.
September 22nd, 2010 at 7:36 am
I think your Greek oregano will help me sleep at night. It will help get stains out of my clothing. It will make my dogs SIT and STAY when I’m cooking steaks. It will help me lift just a little more weight at Body Pump. It will give me the courage to tell telemarketers I’m not interested. It will inspire me to write life-altering blog posts that will be picked up by a publishing house and turned into a book: “How Greek Oregano Helped Me Take Over the World.” I think it might also refresh my French skills. And, oh yeah, it might help me make the best Greek Salad Knoxville, TN, has ever seen. I think I might called it “The Whipped Greek Salad.” Then it will help people sleep and night, and get stains out of their clothing…
I love Greek oregano :)
September 22nd, 2010 at 8:13 am
You wouldn’t have to ship it to me! I could just walk over :) But I’d love some!
September 22nd, 2010 at 8:50 am
definitely interested – that is, if my boss doesn’t come through with a stash of her own for me!
September 22nd, 2010 at 9:46 am
I could really use this! Crossing fingers…
September 22nd, 2010 at 10:05 am
Pick me – pick me! I just saw your post for Greek Salad and I can’t wait to make it.
September 22nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
I have the red hair but not so much the freckled face. I wonder if I’d pass?
I would also love to make a Greek salad with that oregano…with a large variety of olives!
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:07 am
I’d love some! I regret not getting more spices on my last trip to Greece and also to Egypt!
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:11 am
Thanks for sharing — would love to try fresh Greek oregano!
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:57 am
we bought a big bag of oregano from Penzey’s once, and in it’s large clear package it looked suspiciously like something illicit. hope you didn’t have too much trouble bringing it home!
cheers,
*heather*
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:57 am
Love to spice up my dish with this oregano…thanks for this giveaway…
ramvinayak_81@rediffmail.com
September 22nd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Oh yum! So generous of you to share. :)
September 22nd, 2010 at 12:53 pm
yes, please ;~)
September 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 pm
oh i would love some! i went to greece last year and fell in love with the flavors there (blocks of feta and fresh bread esp). i miss it so! thanks for hosting such a nice little giveaway :)
September 22nd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Oh, I can almost smell it!
September 22nd, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Oh if only the Greek Oregano fairy would visit my kitchen! I close my eyes and imagine the wonderful aromas that would certainly be the result of such a bestowed gift. I am clicking my heels together as we speak… there’s no place like Greece, there’s no place like Greece, there’s no place like Greece!
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Sounds delicious! And it just really depends on the airport, too, I think. Living in D.C., the 3 airports at my disposal always seem to have more security than what I encounter elsewhere (and I would like to applaud BWI for having the fastest and most-efficient TSA lines!).
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I’m very envious of your trip! I hope you had a wonderful time enjoying the cuisine, ambiance, and family. I hope to share in the good fortune of good oregano. :)
September 22nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm
I would love to have some Greek oregano! Next best thing to going there….maybe someday. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.
September 22nd, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I envy your yearly trips to Greece. I have managed one crazy busy touristy visit but would love to go back again.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Sigh, I’ve put off making Horiatiki due to my lack of Greek oregano. Woe is me. I’d find a lovely home for it next to my Mexican oregano!
September 23rd, 2010 at 12:51 am
Sounds great. I smuggle aleppo pepper back from turkey. My heart always races and I almost pass out getting thru customs! Now, I discovered dean and delucca sells it..but its not the same or a rush. :)
enjoy reading your blog.. just found it.
September 23rd, 2010 at 1:34 am
I would love to sniff that oregano. My friend uses oregano all the time and it made me realize that I don’t even have any in my pantry!
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
Smuggled culinary goods. Hook me up :)
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:56 am
Contraband–how cool. Can’t imagine anything better other than having a plant in my backyard.
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:15 am
Getting food from other places especially authentic stuff is the best. I have never been to greece so haven’t tried oregano yet and would love to. Thanks!
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:36 am
Oregano is my absolute favorite flavor marriage with tomatoes. It just sings! :)
September 23rd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Lovely…and so good for you too!
September 23rd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Yum! I’m obsessed with Mexican oregano, but I’d be willing to do a taste test…
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Welcome back! So nice of you to share your precious stash brought all the way from Greece.
I am mexican and we use lots of oregano, I’ve wondered if I could actually taste the difference between the Mexican Oregano and the Greek.
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Hope the trip was lovely! The oregano certainly sounds wonderful!
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I had a beautiful herb garden this summer. My oregano, sadly, was attacked by either raccoons or squirrels, dug up and died. I would love some Greek oregano. I bet it smells wonderful!
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Oh I would love to win. And between your descriptions and Giada D’s Santorini special, I’m dying over not being in that sea, eating that yogurt or baking in that sun. Lucky you!
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Yum!
September 24th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I LOVE your blog, and your oregano sounds amazing!
Pick a gal whose never been to Greece?! :)
September 24th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
LOVE OREGANO! one of my favorite herbs!
September 24th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Authentic Greek oregano…sounds awesome!
September 26th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Amazing post…..worth reading it and sharing on facebook…
September 29th, 2010 at 2:09 am
[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
September 29th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I’d love to try your Greek oregano!
October 12th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Greek oregano sounds like a must have for my herb collection!
October 13th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
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[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
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[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
October 31st, 2010 at 1:01 pm
[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
November 7th, 2010 at 12:40 am
[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
November 13th, 2010 at 4:10 am
So the little dogs didn’t sniff you out? There is something tastier about origano you know has grown on a rocky Medi hillside. Yum
January 4th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
January 4th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
[...] Greek Oregano Giveaway [...]
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:44 am
One can never have enough oregano!