A look into the Shady World of Illegal Oregano | Food Unwrapped

[@panostriantaphillou766]

The correct accent is on the e (from ancient times), since you want to know: Ορέγανον. The name oregano is derived from the Greek oros (meaning mountain) and ganos (meaning joy). The literal translation means “mountain of happiness,” since it covers hillsides in the Mediterranean and smothers them with beautiful fragrance and flowers.

[@georgesduroy410]

Excellent description

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Thank you

[@howey935]

I don’t get people buying herbs when they’re so easy to grow yourself. In the U.K. grow it in pots so you can bring it indoors in the winter.

[@billclinton6040]

Solution is simple, plant an herb garden. They don't take up hardly any room. If you live in an apartment you can use pots or planters. And best of all, oregano is a perennial, unlike basil, so you don't have to continually resow seeds.

[@Subgunman]

I know the oregano I have is 100% pure. My mother in law picked it in the hills of one of the Greek islands. Here in Crete they have their own sub species of oregano it has a slightly different taste and scent.

[@dimos5422]

thats because its not oregano but matzourana close enough but not the same

[@nunyabiznez6381]

Here in Florida I grow it in my back yard and the stuff is like weeds. It grows so much I have to cut it back and throw it away three times a year. I've never used anything but pure oregano and don't know why anyone would have to or want to cut it.

[@dimos5422]

@@nunyabiznez6381 cause its not supposed to be in Florida but in Greece most of it anyways i bet it smells awesome in your garden

[@dcs4219]

same with mexican and same with what grows or can grow in your front yard! its a weed and fierce flowering. you only need one plant for a years worth of oregano.

[@dylanc6856]

Thank you for posting a full length video instead of a 2 minute skipover!

[@symphantic4552]

It's all about that clean oregano, baby! Don't come at me with that cut stuff.

[@BlackJesus8463]

forealz

[@zakkperkins3826]

Love this

[@bluebull399]

I live in the UK (which is a cold country) and people grow all these herbs in their gardens, even basil can grow here from March to October. Garden grown herbs always taste better than the dried stuff you buy in supermarkets.

[@MeNoWorryYouNoWorry]

Because the dried ones are stripped of their natural juices. Fresh herbs on your food is the better choice.

[@everythinggamingnow]

@@MeNoWorryYouNoWorry not if your cooking low and slow though. Fresh herbs always at the end, dried herbs at the start. Fresh herbs will lose waaaaay more flavour over a long stew compared to dried herbs. Neither is better overall. They both have different uses that they excel at.

[@sarahstrong7174]

Cannot grow Basil in Devon as there are too many slugs & snails.

[@petergreenwald9639]

sorry broken left shift key. but... i grow all my herbs in those cheap plastic rectangular window sill box planters. i can grow enough in three planters for a year's use while clipping off what i need in summer. i sometimes dry them, but usually put them in quart/liter size zip lock bags and freeze them after rinsing well and letting them dry for an hour or so. the one herb i can't seem to master in a window box or small planter is dill. and nothing beats fried zucchini in butter with a generous sprinkle of dill, salt and fresh ground pepper.

[@BatCaveOz]

Mad props to the dude circa 2:00 harvesting crops by hand in a business shirt.

[@t.miranda176]

He takes it very seriously.

[@drewlomax7837]

that's how you know it's business time.

[@juanas1989]

I common practice around the world. The shirt is good to work under the sun

[@invisi6l339]

lmao

[@jayyyzeee6409]

If someone is found to sell adulterated oregano, then they should be forced out of business and prosecuted. A zero tolerance policy should clear things up.

[@vethaydin77]

Yea thats not gona happen its multi billion dolar industry and that labs makes much more money that way

[@skreebduchank1501]

I know it's quite harsh when smoked out of a pipe.

[@patmcbride9853]

Oregano is an herb that keeps trying to take my herb garden over. It's a weed.

[@TheCho-k4m]

A valuable weed, cultivate it and sell it. 100% pure premium & organic Oregano has a real value.

[@patmcbride9853]

@@TheCho-k4m I just got a large container of "organic" oregano at Costco for under $4. Great for making meat for gyros.

[@thescriptwriter824]

One of nature's powerful medicinal properties. Use it intelligently and it will benefit you and your family endlessly.

[@sunnohh]

@@thescriptwriter824 no, but it tastes great

[@Aka.Aka.]

@@thescriptwriter824 can confirm, I have had asthma for a long time, oregano helped stop asthma attacks.

[@Wwefan33]

Domo Oregano Mr Roboto

[@eduardochavacano]

LOL! This is a golden comment!

[@JamesRendek]

Did you just see the Jimmy Fallon, Paul Rudd Styx video?

[@PuffOfSmoke]

Wow, I've learned something new today. That Turkey is f@cking with me when it comes to Oregano.

[@jwenting]

Turkey does that with everything almost...

[@davidlguerr]

I live in Portugal, and buy locally produced oregano as a whole plant, not as powder or leaf in the supermarket. I buy directly from the producers in farmer's markets, so I know I am getting the real deal.

[@sko1beer]

U guys are lucky and everything is legal👍

[@creativemindplay]

You're probably really handsome too

[@kendawa2918]

This was an outstanding video. Thank you.

[@Valtrach]

Great report. Super interesting. Big thumb up! Thank you for your time and work.

[@jenni8200]

I need to know if he had another baby

[@TheCho-k4m]

Not yet according to wikipedia!

[@pbkayakyer]

Give it 8 more months!!

[@RevJamesCostello]

When I lived in Cyprus, a Turkish gentleman treated me to a few cups of Turkish coffee. I always remember it tasting quite ‘muddy,’ with tiny bits of coffee bean remaining. When you see the leftover of the coffee tipped out here, you can see why.

[@harmsc12]

Every time he says "ORI-GAH-NO" my brain expects it to be the word "origami" instead.

[@maestrovso]

Oregon No is when we moved from Oregon to Washington to escape high state income taxes.

[@ASMRGRATITUDE]

Haha

[@emoryjenkins6481]

Sales tax though, and higher gas prices as well

[@grandmothergoose]

Well now that makes me even more happy that I started growing my own!

[@jossfitzsimons]

Thank you for the education.

[@ritahall2378]

Would you do a show about Thai Basil ? Please !

[@joefirma2242]

From now on I will be growing and drying my own oregano leaves.

[@markiangooley]

If you want authentic Mexican cooking, you need Mexican oregano. It has a similar flavor but is not closely related to the real thing. It’s sort of a botanical pun. I don’t think it’s often used as an adulterant, though.

[@sko1beer]

When I add it to my cooking it smells like Italian food to me

[@Viewer19]

You mean wild marjoram part of the mint family sold as (Mexican) oregano.

[@acrobaticcripple8176]

I grow my own. It's so simple, and the flavour is booful!

[@DunnickFayuro]

I was about to say that. It's sooo easy to just have a few plants, even indoors. That way you can eve use it fresh.

[@FenceThis]

DunnickFayuro but fresh oregano isn't the taste you want when using dried oregano

[@Schradermusic]

@@FenceThis You could dry it yourself

[@munapulido9054]

@@FenceThis you could dry it in a dehydrator or an air fryer is what I use

[@FenceThis]

Muna Pulido gonna get me one of them..

[@julie6092]

My father-in-law (Polish) always said or-E-gano and would scold me for saying it or-egg-ano. Lol... I miss him now after watching this. However, I have learned to look closely at the label! 👍

[@joeyzanne9063]

it grows 10 feet from my front door, as weed on the roadside.

[@MysticDonBlair]

5:08 strawberry trees 😂🤣😂

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

yeah its a fruiting tree native to the mediterranian.. its not grown much because low fruit yeild... turkey grows some to make jam

[@Soulixs]

Does anyone know how I can contact Kasim Gorel? From the Oregano Adulteration Lab? I can't seem to find it

[@marciapretlow2667]

I grow Oregano in my backyard. It’s invasive AF.

[@hughbrackett343]

I'm pretty sure when I go out and snip some off it's 100% oregano. If I let it it would take over the whole bed and start on the yard.

[@JulieWallis1963]

“Evasive” oregano creeping around at the dead if night, wearing a balaclava........🤫🤫🤫

[@hughbrackett343]

@@JulieWallis1963 it's not to be trusted. I don't go out there without a machete. I'm sure it would happily grow over my composted remains.

[@TheCho-k4m]

@@hughbrackett343 it definitely would and you'd have premium Oregano as a result. Chop it, dry it, eat it or sell it. :)

[@jaxxbrat2634]

I always suspected the weak oreganos.. Now we know..

[@arabianseagull]

It's really surprising how Oregano producers try to keep the market supply very strictly regulated while wholesalers/retailers have their own market supply of different packaging with illegal Oregano distributed for damaging the demand which can cause a huge disappointment for the food industry worldwide.

[@grantadamson3478]

Why didn't you follow the trail from where it left the farm?

[@achecase]

You don't want to meet the Turkish Mafia.

[@ovallekeila7674]

This plant is delicious for seasoning any meat. I grow it in my yard. In my country we use it for cooking. It is good for stomach illness like nausea or indigestion

[@serenityrahn5656]

also good if you have yeast overgrowth in stomach or intestines.

[@TheSodomundGommorah]

I grow oregano at home and it doesn't look like that one in Turkey.

[@eduardochavacano]

The ones we have in Philippines have really big leaves... so this is the better variety?

[@gabrielferrer3205]

It is not Oregano. It is really called Ajwain.

[@Viewer19]

In the US wild marjoram part of the mint family is often sold as (Mexican) oregano.

[@steveharband]

Very interesting

[@TheCho-k4m]

thumbs up just for your name oh mighty Deathwalker. :)

[@steveharband]

@@TheCho-k4m Fantastic! Thank you. All these years you are the only one to catch the name. All the best

[@ozziepilot2899]

Clearly you are now a seasoned presenter and traveller :)

[@Mark-zu6oz]

I would have thought that Turkey would be the world's leading producer of sage, not oregano.

[@lokisgodhi]

I use ground oregano, because it mixes better when I'm cooking with it. So I imagine it's probably very adulterated.

[@madewithsteez]

I thought this was a weed type documentary

[@codylamberson5011]

I knew I wasn't the only one!

[@alexanderleuchte5132]

Legalize Marjorama!

[@robertsnearly3823]

By golly! Just another good reason to grow my own. And I do! 😊

[@WowplayerMe]

Wow, what a coincidence...I always season my Turkey with Oregano....

[@patricialloyd866]

Interesting 👍

[@CharuzuXVI]

Fun fact.. Lippia graveolens tastes and smells VERY similar to oregano

[@bstr-ey6wl]

when it is real , it is good and delicious. I thought I did not like it. When it is real, a blast !

[@outtathyme5679]

Can’t stop saying aura gone oh

[@abhaymhatre8534]

I remember when this show was called Food CIA and was aired on History TV

[@zukacs]

and i was wondering who the F was financing this small channel with huge content

[@TheCho-k4m]

@@IguanaJoose the show is still going, they do about 12 episodes per year. Channel 4 are monetising it on KZbin and I don't blame them one bit, it is a perfect format fit. Great content in easily accessible chunks.

[@sabiajizmir]

Today if you buy one container (5000 kg) Turkish Pure Oregano cut/sifted (ready to use) it would cost you 4,00-4,50 USD/kg EXWORKS Turkey, some buyers in various countries says they want Oregano but it should cost 3 USD or 2 USD or 1,50 USD/kg, they claim their people (clients) cannot afford Pure Oregano. I would say most of the importers know very well about adulteration (beginners or naive ones dont) additionally both importers and exporters use this adultaration tool to compete each other..

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

yeah its true, you can have no trouble buying pure oregano in turkey of a very high quality.. but you have to pay for it. and importers dont want to pay.

[@leowatley]

'Jimmy investigates the wild word or oregano...' proof reading descriptions before posting them goes a long way.

[@iamanidiotbut5523]

Oh please

[@wagwanbennydj6003]

Illegal oregano? Do you mean cannabis? 🤔 ahah

[@AUXdrone]

You say oregano, i say oregano.

[@agapiosagapiou]

Buy Greek Oregano on the stem!

[@lloydhardcastle5966]

Just grow and dry your own

[@shannonmbean3606]

Does this farmer have a direct email address to purchase directly?

[@drakedorosh9332]

Looks like a job for image processing.

[@andy3559]

When was this filmed? Genuinely interested how you guys are travelling/ working with regards to covid. Has it been problematic for recording? Is your recording prior to covid?

[@lordofthestrings86]

IMDB says this episode aired in October 2018.

[@TheCho-k4m]

They film about 12 episodes per year and have been since 2012, all this content being bulk uploaded appears to be episodes up to around 2019.

[@doit9854]

I'm pretty sure the YT algo recommended this video for the wrong reason...

[@ToudaHell]

Oregano and thyme are the easiest herbs to grow. Get a window box and plant a couple and you've got your supply.

[@darrylhaynes9208]

Dont forget cannabis

[@katherinekinnaird4408]

I had no idea and I believe it.

[@OWK000]

I grow my own oregano, and unless it is properly mature and the right strain, it is not as powerful as the stuff I buy in a clear glassine envelope in my local Mexican food market.

[@sasachiminesh1204]

Oregano is the Latinized version of a GREEK word, and its use started in Greece. Why ask a Turk how to say a Greek word?

[@nicoc6387]

That's what I thought. It's like asking a Greek the right way to pronounce imam bayildi. Ρίγανη είναι, hence orEgano.

[@susandimambro8731]

It's so easy to grow for yourself

[@davidanderson5310]

8:15 If the professional can't tell the difference between pure oregano and adulterated oregano, who's to say that the adulterated stuff isn't just as good?

[@WiggaMachiavelli]

If it is just as good but cheaper to produce, then properly informed consumers will be happy to buy a cheaper but equivalent product. Adulterated product should be accurately labelled. Then we will see if it's 'just as good', in a market without fraud.

[@brv002]

I'm glad I buy Mexican oregano from the local Mexican grocery store. You can tell a difference right away.

[@ep7672]

I don't understand. Oregano grows really well on my property. This seems like a scam with a low level of profit, given my experience growing oregano. It's a crop that loves low fertility soil.

[@TheCho-k4m]

Yep, it's a grow anywhere type of weed, the Turkish farmers have tied the global market up using a very small amount of acreage it seems. I'm amazed it's not widely cultivated elsewhere.

[@hidaniel1757]

The word "Kekik" is Turkish for Orégano. Trust me, don't ask a Turk on pronouncing foreign words, they will butcher it. 90% of their language has linguistic borrowings and calcs from other languages, and still they always change the sounds.

[@Chabela-12th]

*Mexican oregano is the best because they sell it whole in supermarkets*

[@TT3TT3]

Growing it at home now.

[@euphoniahale5181]

I thought I was growing oregano.....but it doesn’t look like that. 🤔 wonder what I’m growing.

[@USVIsteve]

Buyers beware… Yeah I’m gonna go buy a microscope so I can determine the purity of my oregano

[@MrDDiRusso]

Oregano goes well with tomatoes. 😋

[@joeroganpodfantasy42]

Dude the guy sounds exactly like Ricky Gervais.

[@SauTunSud2025]

Those guys from Oregon brought it...😅

[@PossumPityParty]

Fresh is the best. Plus you know what it is! Be sure to get the best, Greek Oregano. It has the most beautiful nose and wonderful taste. So much better than anything in the store. Edit: I mean to grow it of course. ☺️

[@noblebrown6580]

The war on Oregano

[@Jlind9335]

Just grow it yourself, problem fixed. Then you don't have to worry about what's in it.

[@lordofthestrings86]

All of that fraudulent oregano then gets sold as fraudulent marijuana...

[@ralphdavis9670]

I'll stick with my home grown, besides it tastes better.

[@TheAvsouto]

Its not like we could remove it. It always come back.

[@evelyndeleon7234]

wth, their orrgano is very different from what I know...

[@fateisendemic7862]

Wait, so ... Weed is often mixed with oregano, ... But oregano is swapped with weeds... That means kids are literally smoking weeds

[@lincs4life]

Am I the only person thinking this would be about weed? 😂😂

[@joeroganpodfantasy42]

Oregano so expensive they cutting it up with weed.

[@JamesRendek]

In the pot bag you have oregano, in the oregano bag, still no pot 🙄

[@josecarvajal6654]

Oregano comes from Spanish "orégano". That ´ over the E marks the stress of the world, so it´s pronounced "oRÉgano"

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Jose Carvajal - I agree about the stressing, but the etymology is originally Greek: English, “oregano”; French, “origan”, Italian, “origano”, Spanish, “orégano”, derived from Latin, “origanum”, ultimately derived from Greek, “ορίγανον” (όρος = mountain + γανάω = make bright; shining; shimmering; rejoice; gladden).

[@TettteT]

Oregano is a Spanish word, not Turkish. He is saying it wrong. The second way you said it was correct. He's saying the English word for you, also. (BTW, did you say it first?) The Turkish word is kekik.

[@nunyabiznez6381]

I grow my own and harvest as needed. I don't see the point of buying any as it is so easy to grow even in poor soil. The stuff grows like weeds. I literally have to cut it back three times a year and my neighbors are sick of getting free bags of dried oregano three times a year. I throw out way more than I or my neighbors use. I see absolutely no reason to cut it with anything else. This video makes no sense to me at all.

[@grimace4257]

I got bust on some illegal oregano once.

[@charlottechristie6662]

That's why I grow my own

[@akpl4210]

I wonder if the first farmer's facts and figures are reliable to build on!!

[@dpsdps01]

I love that you pronounce the "H" in Herb.

[@FenceThis]

and why not ? -unless you're french

[@tomkent4656]

@@FenceThis In which case it's spelt Herbe.

[@FenceThis]

tom kent Yes,-I assume the french would drop the h when attempting to pronounce the English word as well

[@dpsdps01]

The Americans, for whatever reason, say "erb", it bothers me to no end.

[@ANTSEMUT1]

@@dpsdps01 they chose the French pronunciation for some reason 🤷‍♂️

[@SkamOneOfficial]

I don't care if it's right or wrong hearing you say it like that upsets me in ways i never knew a word being said could.

[@Citizen-of-theworld]

Buy yourself a little plant and you can’t go wrong.

[@mintheman7]

Haha, here in California pure Oregano is being added to bulk up another crop with even higher resale value: marijuana

[@nunyabiznez6381]

basil would make more sense since the taste, aroma is closer to that of marijuana. It's also very easy to grow.

[@manab.baruah]

12000 meters 🤦🏽

[@ΑθανάσιοςΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ-θ7γ]

The best oregano comes from Kalamata Greece. If you tried it, everything else smells like grass!

[@bluegizmo1983]

No he's DEFINITELY saying it wrong

[@johnserrano9689]

Last week when the camera man told us that you had to give the oregano doctor a hand job to get him to go along with you, what does that mean?