Moroccan mint (Mentha spicata var. crispa, Moroccan) is a cultivar of the North African spearmint (Mentha spicata var. crispa), which is also known as nana mint, garden mint, common mint, lamb mint, and mackerel mint. Moroccan mint has a mild peppery flavor and a sweet, minty fresh aroma. It contains less menthol compared to other mints, especially peppermint, but has a nice minty scent.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Spearmint, or spear mint (binomial Mentha spicata, synonym Mentha viridis), also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint native to much of Europe and Asia (Middle East, Himalayas, China etc.), and naturalized in parts of northern and western Africa, North America, and South America, as well as various oceanic islands.”
Description of the plant:
“It is a herbaceous, rhizomatous, perennial plant growing 30–100 cm tall, with variably hairless to hairy stems and foliage, and a wide-spreading fleshy underground rhizome. The stem is square-shaped, a trademark of the mint family of herbs. Spearmint produces flowers in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5–3 mm long, and broad.”
Known hybrids:
“Hybrids involving spearmint include Mentha × piperita (peppermint; hybrid with Mentha aquatica), Mentha × gracilis (ginger mint, syn. M. cardiaca; hybrid with Mentha arvensis), and Mentha × villosa (large apple mint, hybrid with Mentha suaveolens).”
Culinary uses:
“Spearmint leaves can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. They can also be preserved in salt, sugar, sugar syrup, alcohol, or oil.”
“Moroccan mint (Mentha spicata var. crispa Moroccan), along with green tea, hot water (60–80 °C), and copious amounts of sugar, is an ingredient in the national drink of Morocco. It is used as a culinary herb to season a wide variety of dishes, especially salads, and is also bundled and hung as an insect deterrent.*”
Oil uses:
“Spearmint is used for its aromatic oil, referred to as oil of spearmint. The most abundant compound in spearmint oil is R-(–)-carvone, which gives spearmint its distinctive smell. Spearmint oil also contains significant amounts of limonene, dihydrocarvone, and 1,8-cineol. Unlike oil of peppermint, oil of spearmint contains minimal amounts of menthol and menthone. It is used as a flavoring for toothpaste and confectionery, and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps.
Used as a fumigant, spearmint essential oil is an effective insecticide against adult moths.”
Research:
“In preliminary research, spearmint essential oil showed potential for antifungal activity against food poisoning pathogens and had no evidence of mutagenicity in the Ames test.”
Storing:
Fresh Moroccan mint can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a short period of time. Dried mint should be stored in a cool, dry place. Freshly picked mint has the best flavor and most intensive aroma.
Moroccan mint tea:
To prepare Moroccan mint tea: For one liter of tea, you will need 2–3 tbsp of green tea rolled into pellets (e.g., gunpowder tea), 4 fresh sprigs of Moroccan mint (or 6 dried), 1 tbsp sugar (in certain countries, even more is used), and water. Pour hot water over the green tea pellets, and then pour the first batch through a strainer and discard. This will eliminate any bitterness. Add the mint and the sugar, pour boiling water over the tea leaves, and steep for 5 minutes. If the tea is not sweet enough for your taste., you can add some more sugar. And if you are serving guests, we suggest placing fresh mint leaves in the tea glasses to make the presentation visually appealing.
Interesting facts:
“The name 'spear' mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.”
Note (italics): * = Translation from a German Wikipedia entry
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
|
---|---|---|---|
Energy | 44 kcal 184 kJ | 2.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal | |
Fat/Lipids | 0.73 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g | |
Saturated Fats | 0.19 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g | |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 8.4 g | 3.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g | |
Sugars | n/a | ||
Fiber | 6.8 g | 27.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g | |
Protein/Albumin | 3.3 g | 6.6% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g | |
Cooking Salt (Na:30.0 mg) | 76 mg | 3.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Min | Iron, Fe | 12 mg | 85.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Min | Manganese, Mn | 1.1 mg | 56.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Vit | Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 105 µg | 53.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Elem | Calcium, Ca | 199 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Vit | Vitamin A, as RAE | 203 µg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Min | Copper, Cu | 0.24 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Elem | Potassium, K | 458 mg | 23.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Prot | Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.05 g | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Elem | Magnesium, Mg | 63 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Vit | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 13 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential fatty acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0.34 g | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 0.05 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.05 g | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.14 g | 15.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0.14 g | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0.17 g | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 0.25 g | 10.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 0.16 g | 10.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0.14 g | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.05 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 105 µg | 53.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 203 µg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 13 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.18 mg | 13.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.16 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.08 mg | 7.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0.95 mg | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0.25 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Calcium, Ca | 199 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Potassium, K | 458 mg | 23.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 63 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 60 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Sodium, Na | 30 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 12 mg | 85.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Manganese, Mn | 1.1 mg | 56.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Copper, Cu | 0.24 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 1.1 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
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