Mint sauce is a green sauce popular in the United Kingdom, made from finely chopped spearmint leaves soaked in vinegar, and a small amount of sugar. It is a traditional accompaniment to roast lamb.
Close-up of parsley mint sauce on Spanish spice rubbed chicken
There are many different species of mint, but the one used most widely in Western cooking is spearmint (Mentha spicata). It is native to the Mediterranean area but is found in many other parts of Europe and in North America. The Oxford Companion to Food calls it "Very widely cultivated and used ... 'the mint' of cooks, the one commonly used for mint sauce and for flavouring new potatoes and peas, in Arab mint tea, etc."[1]
The Ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that mint "stirs up the mind to a greedy taste in meat".[2] The later Roman writer Apicius gave a recipe for mint sauce which he said complemented the flavours of roast lamb (or suckling kid).[3] By the middle ages mint was commonly found in European medicinal and kitchen gardens, as well as growing wild.[4]
On the origins of mint sauce, the food historian Dorothy Hartley wrote, "Most sheep had their lambs down in the warm valley grazing lands where the streams ran, and mint grew in abundance. Hence mint sauce with lamb."[4] Mint sauce was being made in England as early as the 3rd century,[5] and the practice of serving it with lamb was well established in English cooking before the mid-18th century.[6]
In the middle ages green sauces made with mint or other herbs were common in French and Italian cuisine,[7] but their use declined as Europe entered the Modern Era.[8]Louis-Eustache Ude commented in an 1816 recipe for roast lamb, "In France we serve it up with Maître d'Hôtel but in England you send up with gravy under it, and in a sauceboat mint-sauce with sugar and vinegar.[9]Marcel Boulestin wrote in 1936, "I think I am one of the very few French people who genuinely like mint sauce",[10] and he reported his father's view: "'Do you mean to say that they really eat mint with lamb? ... What a funny country'".[11]
Ingredientsedit
According to Florence Jack in her 1914 Cookery for Every Household, mint sauce contains chopped fresh mint, brown sugar, and malt vinegar, mixed with boiling water and left to stand for several hours before serving.[12] In Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen (1970) Elizabeth David broadly agreed with Jack's recipe, but recommended using white wine vinegar as "less savage".[13] In her Book of Mint (1993) Jackie French concurs with David, but suggests letting the cooked sauce stand for at least a day and preferably a month.[2] Some earlier recipes left the mixture unboiled and did not let it stand. David commented that letting the finished sauce stand was, together with the use of brown sugar, the reason why Jack's sauce was superior to "the routine English one".[13]
Variationsedit
Mint sauces may include fruits in their preparation, such as raspberries.[14]
Edwards, John (1984). The Roman Cookery of Apicius: A Treasury of Gourmet Recipes and Herbal Cookery. Point Roberts: Hartley & Marks. ISBN978-0-88-179008-5.
Jack, Florence (1914). Cookery for Every Household. London: Jack. OCLC 3248393.
Redon, Odile; Françoise Sabban; Silvano Serventi (2000). The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN978-0-226-70685-6.
Rosso, Julie (1985). The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. New York: Workman. ISBN978-0-89-480831-9.
Ude, Louis Eustache (1816). The French Cook; Or, The Art of Cookery Developed in All its Various Branches. London: Ebers. OCLC 1156094380.
External linksedit
February 16, 2024
mint, sauce, green, sauce, popular, united, kingdom, made, from, finely, chopped, spearmint, leaves, soaked, vinegar, small, amount, sugar, traditional, accompaniment, roast, lamb, contents, background, ingredients, variations, also, references, sources, exter. Mint sauce is a green sauce popular in the United Kingdom made from finely chopped spearmint leaves soaked in vinegar and a small amount of sugar It is a traditional accompaniment to roast lamb Mint sauce Contents 1 Background 2 Ingredients 3 Variations 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksBackground edit nbsp Close up of parsley mint sauce on Spanish spice rubbed chickenThere are many different species of mint but the one used most widely in Western cooking is spearmint Mentha spicata It is native to the Mediterranean area but is found in many other parts of Europe and in North America The Oxford Companion to Food calls it Very widely cultivated and used the mint of cooks the one commonly used for mint sauce and for flavouring new potatoes and peas in Arab mint tea etc 1 The Ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that mint stirs up the mind to a greedy taste in meat 2 The later Roman writer Apicius gave a recipe for mint sauce which he said complemented the flavours of roast lamb or suckling kid 3 By the middle ages mint was commonly found in European medicinal and kitchen gardens as well as growing wild 4 On the origins of mint sauce the food historian Dorothy Hartley wrote Most sheep had their lambs down in the warm valley grazing lands where the streams ran and mint grew in abundance Hence mint sauce with lamb 4 Mint sauce was being made in England as early as the 3rd century 5 and the practice of serving it with lamb was well established in English cooking before the mid 18th century 6 In the middle ages green sauces made with mint or other herbs were common in French and Italian cuisine 7 but their use declined as Europe entered the Modern Era 8 Louis Eustache Ude commented in an 1816 recipe for roast lamb In France we serve it up with Maitre d Hotel but in England you send up with gravy under it and in a sauceboat mint sauce with sugar and vinegar 9 Marcel Boulestin wrote in 1936 I think I am one of the very few French people who genuinely like mint sauce 10 and he reported his father s view Do you mean to say that they really eat mint with lamb What a funny country 11 Ingredients editAccording to Florence Jack in her 1914 Cookery for Every Household mint sauce contains chopped fresh mint brown sugar and malt vinegar mixed with boiling water and left to stand for several hours before serving 12 In Spices Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen 1970 Elizabeth David broadly agreed with Jack s recipe but recommended using white wine vinegar as less savage 13 In her Book of Mint 1993 Jackie French concurs with David but suggests letting the cooked sauce stand for at least a day and preferably a month 2 Some earlier recipes left the mixture unboiled and did not let it stand David commented that letting the finished sauce stand was together with the use of brown sugar the reason why Jack s sauce was superior to the routine English one 13 Variations editMint sauces may include fruits in their preparation such as raspberries 14 nbsp Yogurt mint sauce nbsp Panna cotta mint sauce nbsp Stuffed grape leaves with yoghurt mint sauceSee also edit nbsp Food portalList of sauces Chutney in South Asian cuisine may be made with mint Peppermint Spearmint Mentha aquatica Water Mint References edit Davidson p 508 a b French p 7 Edwards p 15 a b Hartley p 66 French p 8 Glasse p 4 Redon et al p 107 Albala p 15 Ude p 98 Boulestin p 67 Boulestin p 68 Jack p 193 a b David p 74 Rosso p 185Sources editAlbala Ken 2006 Cooking in Europe 1250 1650 Westport Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 313 33096 4 Boulestin Marcel 1936 Myself My Two Countries London Cassell OCLC 13409111 David Elizabeth 2000 1970 Spices Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen London Grub Street ISBN 978 1 902304 66 3 Davidson Alan 1999 The Oxford Companion to Food Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 211579 9 Edwards John 1984 The Roman Cookery of Apicius A Treasury of Gourmet Recipes and Herbal Cookery Point Roberts Hartley amp Marks ISBN 978 0 88 179008 5 French Jackie 1993 Book of Mint London HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 00 412897 9 Glasse Hannah 1751 The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy London Hannah Glasse OCLC 1155400954 Hartley Dorothy 1999 1954 Food in England London Macdonald and Jane s ISBN 978 1 85605 497 3 Jack Florence 1914 Cookery for Every Household London Jack OCLC 3248393 Redon Odile Francoise Sabban Silvano Serventi 2000 The Medieval Kitchen Recipes from France and Italy Chicago University of Chicago Press ISBN 978 0 226 70685 6 Rosso Julie 1985 The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook New York Workman ISBN 978 0 89 480831 9 Ude Louis Eustache 1816 The French Cook Or The Art of Cookery Developed in All its Various Branches London Ebers OCLC 1156094380 External links edit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mint sauce amp oldid 1200087963, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
