It’s Simple, Mint is Delicious
Mint is an herb, not a spice, and it’s nearly everywhere.
Fans of the Kentucky Derby and dessert eaters everywhere know a sprig of mint when they see it. In addition to being foliage on a plate, mint flavors all manner of consumable items from gum to toothpaste to smoking cessation gum, ice creams, pet shampoos (not edible, by the way), tea, tabouli, fried rice and even, ugh, mint jelly.
Some Basic Bio Stuff
Mint, from Mentha, has in its genus 25 species.[1] Moving up the scale to family, there are scores of cousins, reaching to nearly 7,000 family members.[2] That’s a big family and includes the likes of lavender, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, catnip (catmint), bergamont, also knows as bee balm (horsemint).
The leaves on mints can vary from smooth to fuzzy, pointed to round, rough edges or really rough edges or, as with some lavender, smooth edges. With all those differences, there are some common traits. The stems are square, not round, and the leaves are staggered, with two leaves opposite each other on the stem, then the next set also opposite, but on the other sides of the stem.