Differences between Fish-Flavored Herb and Mint
If you want to know the differences between fish-flavored herb and mint and learn how to distinguish between the two in terms of their essential botanical characteristics, the following details will be shared.
Mint is well-known to everyone, but fewer people have seen fish-flavored herb. However, this plant looks very similar to mint, and many people cannot distinguish between these two ingredients effectively. Below, I will discuss the differences between mint and fish-flavored herb to help you better differentiate between these two foods.
Appearance Differences
Although both mint and fish-flavored herb belong to the Lamiaceae family, upon close observation, mint has a青气芳香 (aromatic) square stem, usually with deep green leaf stalks, and its leaves are more wrinkled compared to those of fish-flavored herb, which can be used for brewing tea. Fish-flavored herb plants do not emit a strong aroma and have purple-red leaf stalks with finely wrinkled leaves that are more pronounced.
Flavor Differences
Mint has a spicy and aromatic flavor, initially bitter but sweet on the backend, with a hint of cool refreshment that is very uplifting; whereas fish-flavored herb has a mild fishy aroma, which is a characteristic seasoning for cooking fish in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, and you can easily tell the difference between the two upon tasting.
Usage Differences
Mint can be used as a seasoning, for brewing tea, or for stir-frying, with a broader range of cooking methods. It is mainly used for dispersing wind-heat, clearing heat and summer heat, soothing the liver and regulating qi, and relieving sore throat and pain. Fish-flavored herb is usually only used as a seasoning, with common recipes including fish-fragrant shredded pork, fish-fragrant eggplant, fish-fragrant steamed eggs, and fish-fragrant chicken cubes, which have a special fishy flavor that can help stimulate the appetite.
Why Does Mint Turn Purple
Reasons related to variety.
There are a total of 25 varieties of mint, including common ones like peppermint, which have green-stemmed and purple-stemmed varieties. If the leaves of your mint turn purple, it might be due to the purple-stemmed variety, which has purple stems and leaves, different from the common green-stemmed mint. However, this is a normal condition, and you can cultivate it with confidence. Peppermint contains volatile oils throughout the plant, with its main components being menthol, menthone, glucose苷 (glucoside), and various free amino acids. Its flavor is not as strong as that of common mint and can be used for cooking and baking.
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