Plants go crazy in my kitchen. They love the bright Southern exposure from all the windows. I start with one little clipping and before you know it, I have a jungle. That’s what happened with a little plant from my sister, Patti.
Patti thought the plant was Mexican oregano. The leaves are succulent, furry and bright green and have a very pungent aroma. Patti gave me a few teeny cuttings in a pretty pot she stenciled. As the plants grew, I broke off the tops and just stuck them in the soil. The cuttings quickly matured and outgrew the little pot. I started another bigger pot and have continued to do so many times over.
To be sure it truly was Mexican oregano, I brought a few leaves into my favorite Mexican restaurant. The owner affirmed it was indeed as we thought. She also said that they do use it in their recipes but never fresh, only dried.
Mexican Chef Rick Bayless offers several recipes on his website that include the herb including Sopa de Lima Clasica and Classic White Pozole with all the Trimmings.
I dried a tray of Mexican oregano leaves and am experimenting with it in my recipes. On my first attempt I sautéed tilapia in a little coconut oil and seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic, and the dried herb. It was delicious. The Mexican oregano definitely adds a different flavor than the Italian version we are more familiar with.
Do you have a recipe using Mexican oregano? Please share it if you do.
©Mary K. Doyle
Midwest Mary 
I’m looking online to determine what mexican herb an old neighbor gave me…it looks much like this and has a very pungent smell..however, it’s a thick leaf (almost cactus like) and furry (soft) to the touch. Is it the same as this?
Yes! Mine looks like that too.
Hello. I’m a little late here, I came across this picture through a google search. What’s shown in the picture is plectranthus amboinicus, a species of succulents commonly referred to as Cuban oregano (or Mexican mint, broadleaf thyme, oregano brujo, Indian borage, and other names). There are several different kinds of plectranthus amboinicus, this kind in particular is often called Mexican mint as it has a different aroma than the other kinds, which smell more like regular oregano. Mexican oregano is a different plant, lippia graveolens, in the verbena family. Plectranthus amboinicus are wonderful plants though, I have the type shown above and another variegated kind. They both have wonderful aromas, are super easy to grow, and are very useful in the kitchen.
To correct things here, this is neither mexican nor cuban oregano. I have it, too. Those two have very different leaf shape, surface, color AND structure, smell, taste. It is a species of spurflowers called plectranthus coleoides.
Really, Sue? Then it was labeled incorrectly. Thank you for clarifying.