Welcome to the Celtnet Herb Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available herbs have become the 'Cinderella' flavourings in the culinary world and more and more herbs are falling out of common usage. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary herbs together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Herb Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the herbs given here whether common or rare can be obtained via a specialist herb nursery.

This is the description page for Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the herb: Dittany of Crete.

Dittany of Crete, Origanum dictamnus (also known as Crete Dittany, Diktamo, Dittander, Dittany of Candie, Dictamnus, Dittany, Hop Marjoram, Spanish Hops and Hop Plant) is a prostrate herbaceous subshrub that is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) familly of flowering plants that is native to the island of Crete in the mediterranean.

It is a tender perennial plant that grows some 20 to 30cm high and a spread of up to 40cm. It is a prostrate subsshrub with arching stems that bear woolly, grey-white leaves. The leaves are discoid to ovate, grey-green in colour and are sited in pairs opposite each other. The slender arching stems and lanate leaves are covered in a velvety white down and are 13–25 mm in size. Tiny pink flowers hermaphoroditic within large purple bracts are produced in pendant heads in summer (June to August).

Dittany of Crete is widely used for food flavouring and medicinal purposes, in addition to it featuring as an ornamental plant in gardens. Both the dried leaves and dried flower heads are used to make a tea. Dittany of Crete has always been highly prized; it is gathered while in bloom in the summer months, and is exported for use in pharmaceuticals, perfumery and to flavour drinks such as vermouth and absinthe. It is said to symbolize love and was believed to be an aphrodisiac. Only the most ardent young lovers scrambled on mountainsides and the deep gorges of Crete gathering bunches of the pink blooms to present as love tokens. There are numerous deaths reported throughout the centuries by collectors of this magical herb. The locals called it erontas [Έρωντας] in the Cretan dialect which literally means 'love' for its aphrodisiac properties. Popular in Minoan Crete and Ancient Greece, it was considered a highly therapeutic plant.

The English name 'dittany' derives from the Greek diktamo [Δίκταμο]. The leaves have a pleasant, aromatic, flavour that makes the herb suited for fish and eggs. It also makes an interesting addition to salads and adds an intriguing flavour to herb pestos. It is also one of the classic flavourings for turin vermouth. Dittany is also one of the herbs mentioned in Charlemagne's list of herbs, which meant that all royal gardens had to grow it. This is one of the reasons why dittany was so popular during the Middle Ages and even into the Elizabethan age.

The essential oil derived from the leaves contains carvacrol and thymol as main constituents. Being closely related to oregano (Origanum vulgare) dittany can be used in any recipe where oregano would normally be used. Like oregano, it is one of the few herbs where the dried herb is almost as flavourful as the fresh.

Versatus Broun
Erbolat
Dittany, Rue and Parsley Omelette
Medieval-style Fried Chicken
Dittany Tea
Turin Vermouth
Dittany and Garlic Sauce for Fish
Dittany Vinaigrette