Uses: Both peppermint and spearmint are used in cooking. Despite its sweet flavor, spearmint is typically used in savory dishes, such as pesto sauce, pasta dishes, or garnish for roasted vegetables.
Can I use spearmint instead of mint?
If you are looking for a really intense minty flavor in a dish, peppermint is the way to go. If you are looking for a milder minty flavor that won’t overwhelm your dish, spearmint is the better choice.
What can I do with my spearmint?
7 Tasty Ways to Use Fresh Mint
- Mint Tea. Add a sprig or two to a mug and cover in hot water.
- Mint Ice Cubes. Brew your mint tea extra strong then freeze it into ice cubes!
- Chocolate Dipped Mint Leaves.
- Watermelon Salad.
- Mint Pesto.
- Hugo Cocktails.
- Chickpea, Barley, and Zucchini Ribbon Salad.
Is it safe to eat spearmint leaves?
Fresh spearmint also contains small amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as the minerals iron and calcium. Mint is safe for most people and consuming it doesn’t typically cause side effects. Allergies to mint are uncommon.
Is spearmint the same as regular mint?
It’s most widespread use is Wrigley’s® Spearmint Gum. Peppermint’s flavor is similar to spearmint, but it contains the ingredient menthol, making its flavor stronger and more pronounced. Both spearmint and peppermint have menthol in them but peppermint contains a higher menthol content (40% versus . 05% in spearmint).
Which mint is best for cooking?
Spearmint. Spearmint is most commonly used in cooking for many recipes, including lamb, vegetables, and of course, mint juleps and mojitos.
What does spearmint taste like?
Compared to peppermint, spearmint has a delicate flavor and fragrance that is often described as sweet. It gets its flavor from the chemical ingredient carvone, which is much subtler than the aforementioned menthol and doesn’t evoke the same cooling sensation.
Are all mint plants edible?
Are All Types of Mint Plants Edible? No, not every type of mint is safe to eat. Some are grown as trees or shrubs, while others are purely decorative. The best way to tell if it’s edible is by seeing how it smells.
What are the benefits of spearmint tea?
11 Surprising Benefits of Spearmint Tea and Essential Oil
- Good for Digestive Upsets.
- High in Antioxidants.
- May Aid Women With Hormone Imbalances.
- May Reduce Facial Hair in Women.
- May Improve Memory.
- Fights Bacterial Infections.
- May Lower Blood Sugar.
- May Help Reduce Stress.
Can I drink spearmint tea everyday?
Spearmint extract has most often been used by adults at a dose of 900 mg by mouth daily for up to 90 days. Spearmint tea has most often been used as two cups daily for up to 16 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.
Are any mint plants poisonous to humans?
There is at least one poisonous doppelganger, and it can even hybridize with edible mints, making unknown breeds of mint-like plants unsafe: Pennyroyal. So, it sounds like, for safety reasons, you should not eat unknown mint-like plants.
Does spearmint tea make you sleepy?
Spearmint contains a chemical that might cause sleepiness and drowsiness. Medications that cause sleepiness and drowsiness are called sedative medications. Taking spearmint and sedative medications might cause too much sleepiness.
Which mint is best for tea?
The two varieties used most often for tea are Peppermint and Spearmint. Both boast properties long celebrated in the ancient medicinal cultures of the world and are actually closely related.
Does spearmint keep bugs away?
Spearmint and peppermint are often noted for their ability to repel flies, fleas, and spiders in the garden.
What is the most flavorful mint?
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita ‘Mitcham’). The best-tasting peppermint is found under various names throughout the country: ‘Mitcham’, black-stemmed, ‘Blue Balsam’, and even chocolate mint. It is highly mentholated, almost hot, and full of flavor.
What type of mint is sold in supermarkets?
Spearmint
Spearmint and peppermint are the two most common and widely available of the many mint species. Of the two, spearmint is the one almost always sold in grocery stores and markets.
Which is hotter spearmint or peppermint?
Peppermint is an incredibly pungent—almost spicy—herb. (Its name is starting to seem a bit more fitting, huh?) And though peppermint is perhaps the better known of the two, it’s actually a natural hybrid of spearmint and water mint. This explains why it is so much more potent than its counterpart.
Is spearmint good for acid reflux?
Conclusion: Spearmint has no effect on LES pressure or acid reflux.
Is spearmint or peppermint better for digestion?
Characteristics of Spearmint: Sweeter, more subtle flavor than peppermint. Known for improving respiratory health, circulation and digestion. Fresh spearmint is used in Mojitos, Juleps and Iced tea.
Are mint leaves poisonous?
Fortunately, most of the varieties, like peppermint, spearmint, lavender mint, apple mint, and even pineapple mint, are totally safe. However, you should steer clear of Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), a type of non-culinary mint that is toxic for both people and pets.
Is the mint in my backyard edible?
The leaves are fragrant and tasty, great for adding to teas and salads and fizzy drinks. But beware, mint is among the edible plants that easily spread to unexpected places.