Chilean Mint

Description

Bring a taste of South America to your herb garden with Mentha spicata ‘Chilean’, a vibrant spearmint cultivar known for its clean, sweet flavour and robust, leafy growth. This variety features bright green, slightly serrated leaves with a classic spearmint aroma, ideal for everything from fresh infusions to savoury dishes.

Thriving in sunny, well-drained conditions, the Chilean form of spearmint demonstrates excellent adaptability and vigour, forming a bushy, upright habit that makes it easy to harvest and maintain. While its lineage may trace back to the global spread of spearmint, this particular strain is distinctively aromatic and smooth, lending itself beautifully to herbal teas, salads, and marinades—and is especially welcome in South American-style salsas or chimichurri. But really where this mint comes into its own is in the dish ‘Porotos Granados’: a traditional Chilean dish that often includes mint as a key seasoning.
This hearty stew features cranberry beans, squash, corn, and basil, with spearmint leaves typically added toward the end of cooking for a fresh, aromatic touch. It’s especially popular in summer and is considered one of Chile’s national dishes

Its dependable growth and refined flavour profile make ‘Chilean’ not just a regional curiosity, but a worthy and useful addition to any mint collection, balancing culinary versatility with ornamental appeal.