When mentioning mint, the first thing we think of is chewing gum, mint candy and other fresh breath foods. The slightly spicy cool feeling makes mint products popular all over the world. After eating so many mint-related products, do you know the secret of the taste of mint? How did you get this cool taste and fresh smell?

There are about dozens of species of Mentha plants. If you want to find out what the mint we often eat, you need to have a certain understanding of the species of mint. Our country also has a lot of native mint. Some people also grow a pot of mint at home as a landscape plant. Our common mint usually refers to Mentha canadensis, which is mainly produced in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

But this mint is not the mint we often eat. There are two kinds of mints commonly used in food: 1. Spearmint, also called spearmint, scientific name Mentha spicata L., 2. Spicy mint, also called peppermint, scientific name Mentha piperita. These two mints are mainly produced in Europe, and then introduced to China. Compared with Chinese mint, peppermint has a more pungent taste and is suitable for cooking spices, while spearmint is used for desserts and other decorations. These two mints have a strong flavor and are often used as food additives. This is also the main source of the mint flavor in the gum.

Peppermint extracts are generally used as additives in food, and the common ones are peppermint oil and menthol.