• History: There are more than 30 species of mint, but only two are of commercial importance — spearmint and peppermint. Spearmint is believed to be the oldest of all mints, perhaps the one mentioned in the Bible and probably the one called menta by ancient Romans. Peppermint was discovered in England in the late 17th century. Neither of these mints are native to the United States, but were cultivated early in New England and quickly spread to the wild.

        • FYI: Mint receives its pungency from its volatile oil, carried in resinous dots on the stems and leaves of the plants.

        • Buy: Choose leaves evenly colored with no signs of wilting.

        • Store: Keep mint stems down, in a glass of water with plastic bag over leaves. Refrigerate for up to a week, changing water every two days.

        • Prepare: Rinse, strip leaves from stems and chop or crush just before using. Use mint sprigs as garnishes for desserts and drinks, such as mint juleps, toss whole into Asian-style salads or mix into spicy chutneys and relishes.

        • Professional treatment: Of course you'll find mint leaves on desserts everywhere, but the most lavish use of mint with savory foods is in certain ethnic dishes. It's served in piles with Vietnamese food at Song Phung in Forest Park. Goi cuan is shrimp wrapped with noodles and fresh mint in a rice paper wrapper.

        At Pacific Moon Cafe in Montgomery, laub gai is spicy ground chicken rolled in a lettuce leaf with cilantro and mint leaves.

        Mint goes beautifully with the roasted and whipped carrots at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, downtown, where it's just sprinkled on top with pistachios.

        If you're trying to choose which chutney to try at an Indian restaurant, remember that the green mint chutney is the mildest, combining refreshing mint with a mild heat.

        Sort of a Cuban variation on the mint julep is the mojito, a refreshing mint drink made with fresh mint, rum and soda. It's a specialty at the Latin Quarter in Mariemont.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Mint Chutney
       
       Juice of 2 limes
       1 clove garlic, peeled
       1 piece fresh ginger, about 1 inch long, peeled and roughly chopped
       1 fresh or dried habanero or other chili, to taste
       1 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
       1 tablespoon sugar
       2 cups fresh mint leaves, washed and well dried
       Salt and pepper
       8 shoulder lamb chops

        To make chutney, combine lime juice, garlic, ginger, chili, yogurt and sugar, and puree. Stir in mint by hand. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

        Prepare a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. The fire should be moderately hot and the rack 4 to 6 inches from heat source. Grill chops 3 to 4 minutes to a side for medium-rare, or until they reach desired degree of doneness. Serve hot lamb chops with chutney on the side. Makes 4 servings.

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