Of the two, spearmint is the one almost always sold in grocery stores and markets. Spearmint is also commonly used to make gum and candy. Peppermint leaves are darker green and smoother than spearmint. The big difference is the presence of menthol, which gives peppermint a much more potent flavor.
Billings, owner of California's Mountain Valley Growers, an organic herb and plant nursery. Peppermint is typically dried for tea and made into flavoring for candy, toothpaste, and other products.
It's also infused into extracts, which can be used in baked desserts, like this three-ingredient dark chocolate peppermint bark. Other more exotic varieties that you might come across at the farmer's market or in your CSA box have names that are evocative of their scent more than their actual flavor.
Chocolate mint is a type of peppermint with a subtle, mint-chocolate aroma—like an Andes Mint, Billings says—and an even more subtle flavor. Your wish list is currently empty. Join Over 30, home cooks and food professionals who receive bi-weekly spice and seasoning inspiration. Unable to add you to the email list. Please check your information and try again. Toggle navigation. Dried Mint. Description Dried Mint Dried Spearmint, Mentha spicata , is also called dried mint, dried spearmint leaves, or dried mint leaves.
Dried Spearmint has an essential oil content of. If your recipe calls for mint without specifically calling for Spearmint or Peppermint this is most likely what it means. In the US we tend to think of spearmint as an herb used with lamb, in some sweet dishes, pastries particularly chocolate and of course in gum. In other parts of the world, especially in Greek, Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine it is more often found in savory dishes. History of Spearmint Spearmint is indigenous to Europe and Southwest Asia, though its exact origin is unknown due to extensive early cultivation, it has been naturalized in North America and parts of Africa.
It was first mentioned in the ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyrus , one of the oldest compilations of medical texts, from BC where mint is described as a digestive and used to soothe flatulence. Pliny the Elder AD , the Roman author of the celebrated Natural History encyclopedia, believed that when applied to the temples in the form of a broth, mint could get rid of a headache.
Greek physicians such as Dioscorides AD and Galen AD thought that mint kept people from vomiting blood and speculated that it could prevent women from becoming pregnant. In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party AD , it became unpatriotic in Colonial America to drink tea so the use of herbs became a substitute to highly taxed British imported tea.
Spearmint leaves were one of the more frequently used herbs for this. During this period Spearmint became an important cash crop in Connecticut. The use of mint in culinary applications may be strongest in the Middle East where is has long been a key flavoring in the preferred meat of the region - lamb. Spearmint can be grown in a variety of growing conditions, but it thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Mint is a vigorous grower and does better in raised gardens or it's invasive runners can quickly overcome the growing area.
They can be used in natural food preservation and as an insecticide. Unlike fresh spearmint, spearmint essential oil is not edible. Before use, it must be diluted with a carrier oil. It can irritate if it comes into contact with the skin or the eyes. Fresh spearmint leaves contain a much lower level of menthol than other mint species, which makes it less pungent and more suited to health drinks and cooking.
For a more adventurous idea, try fresh spearmint ice cream , or a spiced salad of braised beef with roasted rice. People with a mint allergy may experience a mild reaction , including skin rash, throat irritation, headache, or dizziness.
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