Ingredient

Mint

Mint in a British kitchen usually means one thing — chopped into vinegar and served with lamb — and the plant is capable of a great deal more. It is also several distinct species sold under one word, and spearmint and peppermint are not interchangeable.

The mints you will meet

Spearmint: The culinary mint. Sweet, grassy, low in menthol. What "mint" means in cooking, and what mint sauce is made from.
Peppermint: A hybrid, much higher in menthol. Cooling and sharp. For teas, confectionery and drinks rather than for food.
Moroccan mint: A spearmint variety, particularly clean and sweet. The tea mint.
Apple, chocolate and pineapple mints: Novelty varieties with faint additional notes. Pleasant, and none is a substitute for spearmint in cooking.
Growing it: Mint spreads by runners and will colonise a bed within two seasons. Grow it in a sunken pot or a container.

Why it blackens

Mint bruises very readily, and bruised leaf tissue browns through the same enzymatic process that darkens a cut apple. Chopped too aggressively with a blunt knife, mint turns black within minutes.

The fixes are the same as for any soft herb: a genuinely sharp knife, dry leaves, minimal chopping, and doing it as late as possible.

Mint sauce is the exception where it does not matter, since the vinegar and the standing time are the point and the colour is expected to dull.

What to do with it beyond mint sauce

With peas, in a soup, a purée or simply thrown in at the end. One of the great British pairings and better than its reputation.
In tabbouleh and fattoush, alongside parsley in quantity.
With yoghurt — raita, tzatziki, or simply yoghurt, mint, garlic and salt as a sauce for grilled meat.
In a Vietnamese salad or summer roll, torn rather than chopped, in whole-leaf quantity.
With lamb in a Middle Eastern kofta or salad, which is the same instinct as mint sauce, better executed.
In tea, Moroccan style, with green tea and a great deal of sugar.
In a cordial or syrup, for drinks or over fruit.
With chocolate, using peppermint rather than spearmint.

Keeping and preparing it

Stand the bunch in water in the fridge, loosely covered. Mint wilts faster than most herbs.
Pick the leaves off the stalks before washing. Mint stalks are tough and slightly bitter.
Wash and dry thoroughly. Wet mint blackens under a knife almost immediately.
For most dishes, tear rather than chop. Torn mint keeps its colour and its aroma much better.
Where chopping is needed, stack the leaves, roll them and slice once through with a very sharp knife. Do not chop repeatedly.
Add it at the last moment. Mint loses its aroma to heat within seconds.

Common questions

Spearmint or peppermint?

Spearmint for cooking. Peppermint is much higher in menthol and belongs in tea, confectionery and drinks.

Why does my chopped mint go black?

Bruising, usually from a blunt knife or wet leaves. Tear it instead, or slice once with a sharp blade.

Can I cook with mint?

Only briefly. Its aroma disappears with sustained heat. Add it at the end, or use it raw.

How do I stop it taking over the garden?

Grow it in a container, or sink a bottomless pot into the bed. It spreads by runners and is very determined.

Is dried mint useful?

Yes, unusually for a soft herb. Dried mint is a distinct ingredient in Turkish and Middle Eastern cooking, used in soups and on yoghurt.

Try this next

Peas the classic British pairing
Yoghurt the base of most mint sauces outside Britain
How to use herbs soft herbs and when to add them
How to make mint syrup a use for a glut