What is the difference between peppermint and spearmint?

Peppermint is a (usually) sterile hybrid mint, a cross between watermint and spearmintIt is occasionally found wild with its parent species in central and southern Europe, but the first intentional crossbreed of watermint and spearmint was done in England. Being sterile, it spreads by rooting.



Spearmint is a species of mint native to central and southern Europe, where it grows in wet soils.



Water mint is a perennial plant in the mentha genus common throughout Europe, except for the extreme North.

What is the difference between peppermint and spearmint?
i agree

peppermint has a sweeter taste



spearmint kind of bites back. It's okay but I prefer peppermint
Reply:They are different plants, and they have different tastes.



Sorta like the difference between apples and pears.
Reply:They are slightly different plants, but from the same family.



I definitely disagree with two of the previous posters though... spearmint is "sweeter" where peppermint is called peppermint because it has a sharp peppery mint flavor.



Check these pages for many more details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppermint

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spearmint



Diane B.
Reply:peppermint is sweet

spearmint has a sharp taste i find unpleasant