Mint

Mint (Mentha) is a refreshing herb, with a distinctive menthol flavour, a strong sweet aroma and a cool aftertaste. It may be used to flavour a wide range of sweet and savoury dishes, from desserts, confectionary and teas to meat, shellfish and vegetables. It is probably best known in the UK as a sauce or jelly to accompany roast lamb, and is also commonly used to garnish cooked new potatoes or peas. It Italy, it is added to grilled or fried porcini (ceps), whilst in the Middle East it is chopped finely and stirred into yogurt as a dressing for cucumber salad. Mint is chopped and mixed with yogurt and green chilli in northern India to make a chutney that is particularly good with tandoori chicken. It also goes well with shellfish - particularly grilled prawns. Mint can also be used as a flavouring in desserts such as ice creams, where it is often combined with chocolate or orange. Sprigs of mint are a popular garnish for fruit drinks, wine cups and juleps, adding a subtle, refreshing flavour.

There are many varieties of mint, including spearmint (common mint) and peppermint, along with a number of less well-known species such as apple mint, basil mint, black peppermint, calamint, chocolate mint, curley mint, ginger mint, liquorice mint, mountain (wild mint), orange mint and pineapple mint. Spearmint (Mentha spicata), with its pointed leaves and fresh taste, is the most commonly used variety of mint and is the best choice for savoury dishes. It has a subtle, mild flavour in comparison to peppermint (Mentha × piperita), which has longer, darker green leaves and a more pungent taste more suitable for teas, oils and desserts. The mints with fruit names, such as apple mint, orange mint and pineapple mint have a fruitier and sweeter taste, with the orange and pineapple having more of a citrus flavour, whereas apple mint (Mentha suaveolens) with its woolly, rounded leaves has a sweet and mellow flavour.

Mint is available fresh or as dried minced leaves; however, it is always best to choose fresh mint if possible as dried mint is not nearly as flavourful. The smaller leaves at the top of the plant are the best choice for garnishes are they are the sweetest and have the best flavour. Fresh mint may be stored in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for up to 3 days, whereas dried mint may be stored for up to a year in a cool, dark, dry place.