Mentha × piperita, the member of the mint family which has become a major horticultural crop, is thought to be a hybrid of M. aquatica (water mint) and M. spicata (spearmint). It is much more pungent than spearmint, and is the principal source of peppermint oil, which is extensively used in confectionery, and also in products such as chewing gum and toothpaste and by the tobacco industry. Menthol is the constituent to which it owes its distinctive odour.
Peppermint is grown in England, France, Germany, Italy, and other European countries. But N. American production is much greater. The main area of cultivation has moved several times in the last 100 years. Early in the 19th century it was in W. Massachusetts whence it moved to New York state, and then (after the introduction of the hardier Black Mitcham variety) to the Midwest. From there it has moved on to the states of Oregon and Washington. Control of quality of peppermint oil (and spearmint oil) has been carried further in the USA than anywhere else, partly no doubt because of the importance of these flavours in chewing gum. See Landing (1969) on the US industry.
A special French peppermint, stronger than the usual kinds, is menthe de Milly, grown and prepared for the markets at Milly-en-Gâtinais, a small town in the Île de France (i.e. not far from Paris) which has a long tradition of cultivating herbs with medicinal uses, a testimony to which is provided by Jean Cocteau's murals in the chapel of St Blaise. Menthe de Milly was formerly a special variety, Ameliorée de Milly, but since 50 years ago this has been replaced by Mitcham. The product is used as a flavouring in cookery and also for tisanes and in confectionery such as the famous pastilles à la menthe, as well as in various sweet or alcoholic beverages.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Landing, James E. (1969), American Essence, Kalamazoo, Mich.: Public Museum.
