flavor, more often used in candies than in
cooking.
Mint family anatomy. A leaf of oregano,
showing the microscopic oil glands that cover
the surfaces of herbs in the mint family. The
fragile, exposed glands filled with pungent
essential oil offer a first line of defense
against predators.
Hyssop Hyssop is an ambiguous name. It is
sometimes applied to a kind of plant
mentioned in the Bible and much used in the
Middle East, a cluster of species characterized
by the penetrating quality of true oregano (see
below). Hyssop proper, Hyssopus officinalis,
is a milder-mannered European herb with
fresh-spicy and camphor notes. It was enjoyed
in ancient Rome but is now more commonly