All fresh herbs taste like mint

[Dawgluver]

I can just put some of my basil in some vanilla ice cream. :P I'll be good and just look at the Nestle chocolate chips in my cupboard.

 

[RPCookin]

With many fresh herbs, including sweet basil, oregano, thyme, savory, cilantro, and sage, I have noticed a distinct, if mild mint flavor, reminiscent of spearmint. This is not a surprise to me as they are all members of the mint family. I found this site - Herbs of the Mint Family that gives a large list of common, and uncommon plants from this very large family. Many are commonly uses as culinary and medicinal herbs, though they are not actually herbaceous plants.

Just as my wife is overly sensitive to capsicum, I am very sensitive to the classic mint flavor. The dried versions of these plants that I listed don't have that minty flavor to me.

Inchrisin, you may be hyper-sensitive to the menthol and other aromatic oils common to the mint family, and so taste the mint that others don't taste. I know that I taste them, fortunately for me, very mildly as I detest the mint flavor in spearmint, mint candies (I vomited once when my grandmother fed me a York Peppermint Patty). Peppermint is the worst for me, and I'm not fond of horehound either (another mint that used to be made into candies).

Please, not mint ice cream for me, or mint sauce on my lamb.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

While I don't have the sensitivity that you have for mint (I love peppermint patties, be they York, Pearson's, or Junior Mints), I do not like it with any kind of meat dish. The Greek preference for mint with lamb just ruins a great cut of meat, in my opinion. My mother always served mint jelly with roast lamb, but it was optional, and I opted out. I do think that peppermint and chocolate go well together.

I don't really taste the mint in herbs like thyme, rosemary, marjoram, but I can understand that they would be of the same family because they are all so wonderfully aromatic.

We have thyme and rosemary in pots on the front porch, and mint growing around the side of the porch that was here when we moved in and which we are assiduously trying to eradicate. We fought a mint infestation in our home in southwest Denver too. It's invasive and a real pain to get rid of.

 

[msmofet]

Now I want mint chocolate chip ice cream. But I always find myself wanting mint chocolate chip ice cream...

Another cool site, thanks GG!

Have you tried Edy's Sugar Free - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? It's pretty good.

 

[Dawgluver]

Have you tried Edy's Sugar Free - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? It's pretty good.

I have not. Will have to look for it!