Marjoram is a perennial plant that is very closely related to oregano. The flavor is warm, spicy, herbal, and a tad bitter the way oregano is, but a bit sweeter with a mystery of mint to it. Used throughout Mediterranean and Italian cooking, its persnickety oils don’t make it a good candidate for prolonged cooking methods. Marjoram should always be added at the very end of cooking to ensure the flavor is at its strongest. Dried marjoram has a stronger flavor than fresh and is usually preferred for this reason.
Marjoram is used in sauces, stuffings, and often in salad dressings. It also has been used in cheese making where the dried leaves are used to coat the rind and infuse the milk as it ages.
