A Neapolitan pizza would be incomplete without oregano. This plant is native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Eurasia, but it grows wild as far north as central Scandinavia and the northern parts of the former USSR as well as in North America.
Most aromatic, however, are the plants that grow on the sunny limestone hillsides of southern Italy. No doubt this is the result not only of suitable soil and climate but also of natural selection which came up with the right variety, for this species includes a great many forms.
The reason is simple - the fresh fruits are inedible because of their unpleasant bitter flavour. This hitter flavour disappears only after lengthy immersion in water that is changed repeatedly, or after pickling in brine for several months. How and when this treatment was discovered we do not know, nor do we know whether our taste was enriched by chance or by man’s ingenuity.
There are many species of wild poppies but the opium poppy has never been found growing in the wild. In all probability it was bred from the wild species P. setigerum, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a useful plant for many reasons. The pharmaceutical industry processes the juice (opium) which exudes from cuts on the unripe capsules, and obtains morphine and many other opium alkaloids from the empty, dry capsules. The ripe seeds yield the edible oil called `olivette’ by the French and a lower quality industrial oil used in synthetic dyes.
Put a few drops on a salad of fresh green peppers or tomatoes, close your eyes, and it does not take much to imagine you are by the warm Mediterranean Sea. It is particularly good mixed with wine vinegar or lemon juice, but the addition of other herbs would only spoil the illusion.
Two types are cultivated: the one for its curly leaves, used for flavouring and as a garnish, the other for its fleshy root, commonly used as a vegetable. In the autumn the plants may be put in pots, thus ensuring a continual supply of fresh leaves, rich in Vitamin C, throughout the winter. As cooking destroys vitamins it is recommended to add the chopped leaves just before serving
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