Story by Ashley Cruz, Summer 2021
The distinctive, bitter smell that comes from the oregano plant is unique, but I don’t like the strong smell. In the meals I consume everyday, oregano is in the meal or on the side. I just remove the leaves since I do not like to eat it and it takes up space in my meal. Over time, during family visits or shopping for groceries, I noticed my mom becoming excited over oregano since it’s a necessary plant for her recipes. In addition, she would grab a lot of oregano, smell it, and smile but I do not share the same excitement. She also asks my dad if he can bring some home from his restaurant job. Once I told my mom about the Heritage Garden and how oregano is being grown on campus, she asked me to bring her some. I decided to ask her about the significance of the plant in her life and what she uses oregano for.
According to my mom, most of my family members use oregano to give their meals more flavor and has used it herself for 23 years. She stated that my grandma is mostly known to put oregano in every meal she made since my grandma was a teenager. It is a common plant found in Oaxaca, which tends to have warm weather with decent rainfall. My mom puts oregano in foods such as pollo enchilado, pollo al horno, barbacoa, and pozole. She mixes other spices with the plant to make the food have more taste. In addition, my mom has stomach pain and uses oregano to make tea or uses it if she has inflammation. Oregano is known to have rich antioxidants and helps reduce inflammation, nausea, sore throats, and plenty more.
Overall, the oregano plant has received generational love from my mom, my grandma, and other family members. What surprised me is how powerful oregano can be to reduce stomach pain and inflammation. I hope in the near future I can share the love for the plant and can pass it on to future generations. As of right now, I’m starting to embrace the strong bitter smell of oregano.