Everything You Need to Know About Mint
This cooling herb can instantly take your dish from routine to refreshing.
The cool refreshing hit we get from mint is a uniquely delicious experience. This abundant herb is at home in frozen desserts, beverages, baked goods, and more. But what types of mint are best for your culinary needs? Learn everything you need to know about mint right here.
What Is Mint?
Mint (genus either Mintha or Mentha ) is a perennial herb of the family Lamiaceae. It’s found throughout the world and thrives in nearly every continent. The plant thrives in moist environments and soils. Partial shade is preferred. And, if you don’t want the mint to take over your entire yard, it’s best to plant it in barrels or pots. Because once it gets a foothold, you’d better be prepared for a bumper crop.
It responds very well to cutting, continuing to grow the fragrant leaves long into the fall. Though there are many types of mint in the “family”, we are primarily concerned with the two types that are used in food, medicine, liqueurs, perfumes, candy, and gum. These are spearmint and peppermint.
Related: Peppermint vs. Spearmint: What's the Difference?
What Does Mint Taste Like?
It's tough to describe a flavor we all know so well. For me, the best description seems to be sweet, a bit sharp, and, most especially, cooling. I realize that cooling is hardly a taste but more of a sensation. And that’s the most recognizable trait when describing mint. A bite of anything with a strong mint presence seems primarily cool.
Menthol, a primary component of mint, is responsible for its cooling effect. Menthol tricks the brain into thinking something cool has been ingested. Peppermint contains 40% menthol, which gives it a stronger, more “peppery” flavor, whereas spearmint has only 0.5% menthol and is, by contrast, a much more delicate presence.
Related: 32 Mint Chocolate Recipes You'll Want to Make Again and Again
How to Use Mint
Besides its commercial uses in soaps, candy, and gum, both spearmint and peppermint are frequently used in cooking. While the more delicate spearmint is often associated with teas and desserts, peppermint is more likely to be found in savory dishes from the Middle East, Asia, Mexico, and India.
Either mint can be used in place of the other as long as you’re aware of the wildly different strengths of the flavor. If you swap one for the other, the dish will be very different.
I love mint with chocolate. I love mint in ice cream. And when I’m feeling a little retro, a Grasshopper cocktail is a lot of fun. But, for me, mint really comes into its own in spicy, hot, savory dishes.
Fresh vs. Dried Mint
The special characteristics that make mint a wonderful addition to so many dishes and cuisines can go missing when it comes to dried leaves. And as mint is crazily easy to grow, there doesn’t seem to be any reason not to use fresh. But dried leaves can add a welcome freshness to salads and creamy dressings.
While not quite as fragrant as fresh, frozen mint leaves are a very acceptable approximation if you don’t want to grow them. Just strip the leaves and freeze them in zipper-lock bags.
Related: Refreshing Cocktail Recipes With Mint
Mint Substitutes
There really is no substitute for the bright, sharp, sweet cooling produced by fresh mint leaves. There are good mint oils available but they must be used very sparingly, or they will overwhelm whatever you use them in.
Try cilantro or parsley in a pinch; the flavor will be quite different, but the bright, herbaceous green color will be consistent.
