# Ok, how can I tell the difference between dry basil and dry marjoram?



## mirage1202 (Jan 24, 2008)

Basil and marijoram?

They are both dried and I got them both from the bulk food store?

Can you tell Im a newbie at cooking???


----------



## JillBurgh (Jan 24, 2008)

Marjoram is very similar to oregano in flavor and aroma.  If you have any dried oregano in the cupboard, try sniffing them side by side and see if either of your new dried herbs smell like the oregano.

I know I'll upset someone when I say this, but I've always detected a hint of "cat pee" smell in dried basil (and sometimes fresh basil and mint too).  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE basil, and no, I don't love cat pee....

But that might help you distinguish between the two. Also, I would say that the basil would have a more floral undertone wile the marjoram was a tad deeper and earthier.  Just generalizing here. Tough question, but fun to think about!


----------



## suziquzie (Jan 24, 2008)

LOL you're not alone! Dry basil smells nothing like fresh basil to me! I smelled something but you just put your finger on it for me!!!!


----------



## Alix (Jan 24, 2008)

I've said the same thing for years too Jill. I can't grow basil in the house for that very reason. LOL.


----------



## jennyema (Jan 24, 2008)

Go to Google Images.  There are photos of each there.

Cat urine is included on a wine aroma wheel and is an aroma that I can often detect in certain white wines, (whre it can be pleasant, actually...) but IMO not in basil.


----------



## sage™ (Jan 24, 2008)

Rub a bit of the herb between your fingers and then smell them. that should help.


----------



## kitchenelf (Jan 24, 2008)

jennyema said:


> Go to Google Images.  There are photos of each there.
> 
> Cat urine is included on a wine aroma wheel and is an aroma that I can often detect in certain white wines, (whre it can be pleasant, actually...) but IMO not in basil.



That white wine would be Sauvignon Blanc.  

mirage1202 - my best advice to you would be to go back to where you bought them - take your herbs with you - tell the people who work there you need to know which is which.  

I fully understand the fresh basil/cat pee reference.


----------



## kitchenelf (Jan 24, 2008)

sage™ said:


> Rub a bit of the herb between your fingers and then smell them. that should help.



Yes, there will be a different smell for each - but if you don't know which smell to associate with which herb you're still at square one.


----------



## VaporTrail (Jan 27, 2008)

Hmm... that "cat pee" smell, could that be due to trace ammonia?

Never had an indoor cat so never really got familliar with cat urine as a distinct aroma, but I seem to recall that one of the reasons it smells so strongly is a high ammonia content.

One would think that the ammonia content in various samples of a herb would vary as to the locality in which the herb sample was grown. Sort of like how a Vidalia Onion won't taste exactly like it should if it wasn't grown in Vidalia GA (which has to do with the sulfur content of the soil).


----------



## capslock (Feb 1, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> Yes, there will be a different smell for each - but if you don't know which smell to associate with which herb you're still at square one.


 
I agree！~~~~~~


----------



## JillBurgh (Feb 8, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> That white wine would be Sauvignon Blanc.
> ...
> I fully understand the fresh basil/cat pee reference.




I have to revisit the topic because last night I went to my favorite restaurant (Casbah) and they had an interesting Sauvignon Blanc on the list. I couldn't resist ordering the Coopers Creek _Cat's Phee on a Gooseberry Bush_ Sauvignon Blanc. It's an inexpensive wine with bright grapefruit and citrus aromas that, honestly, didn't smell like Cat Pee at all! I should add that if you google the wine's name, you'll see that the US censored the spelling, whilst the rest of the world stood by the tradtional P-E-E. Hmm.

Meow


----------



## buckytom (Feb 8, 2008)

i dunno, i'm a dog poo white kinda guy. a nice ge-woof-straminer. 

as far as basil and marjoram go, i agree with sage to rub, smell and taste them. dried basil will be sweeter and more delicate.

you could always go to a store and try a sniff test comparison for a baseline.


----------



## JillBurgh (Feb 8, 2008)

> a nice ge-woof-straminer.


Groan


----------



## buckytom (Feb 8, 2008)

lol, sorry jill.

you have to decant it for a while or it can be a little "ruff" on the palate.


----------



## Callisto in NC (Feb 8, 2008)

Alix said:


> I've said the same thing for years too Jill. I can't grow basil in the house for that very reason. LOL.


So can I buy a bunch of basil and put it in the kitchen and blame the smell of my house on the basin rather than the real culprits, the furry four-legged culprits?


----------



## JillBurgh (Feb 8, 2008)

Callisto in NC said:


> So can I buy a bunch of basil and put it in the kitchen and blame the smell of my house on the basin rather than the real culprits, the furry four-legged culprits?


 
Uh, now that you mention it, maybe it _wasn't_ the basil in my house after all... Nahh.


----------



## kitchenelf (Feb 9, 2008)

JillBurgh said:


> I have to revisit the topic because last night I went to my favorite restaurant (Casbah) and they had an interesting Sauvignon Blanc on the list. I couldn't resist ordering the Coopers Creek _Cat's Phee on a Gooseberry Bush_ Sauvignon Blanc. It's an inexpensive wine with bright grapefruit and citrus aromas that, honestly, didn't smell like Cat Pee at all! I should add that if you google the wine's name, you'll see that the US censored the spelling, whilst the rest of the world stood by the tradtional P-E-E. Hmm.
> 
> Meow



Yes, their name is certainly a pun on the aroma of some SB's.    Some have more of an ammonia smell than others.  I've had the one you mentioned and find it very pleasant.  

Buckytom - You off that trampoline already?


----------



## wysiwyg (Feb 9, 2008)

hmmm, I would check the bags labels LOL

Vaportrail, you are correct about the ammonia thing.


----------

