Have you ever tried mint jelly? I hadn’t until this week. I asked around and no one in my random sample of people had ever tasted it either, though most had at least heard of it, seen it, or read about it.
The recipe is not itself terribly exciting. It’s basically apple jelly, dyed an unnatural emerald color, with mint flavoring added. It’s translucent. It’s green. It sounds weird. Does it taste weird? Like mint Jell-O? That sounds weird.
And what do you even do with mint jelly? Put it on lamb? We don’t cook a lot of that in Southern California anymore. And if you are not putting it on lamb, is there another option? Can you eat it with peanut butter? Does it go on toast? Can you make fingerprint cookies or jelly donuts with it?
The short answer is: the Homestead is hosting a virtual program next week featuring a historic Thanksgiving menu and mint jelly showed up in one of the recipes.
The slightly longer answer is: mint jelly, for all that it is forgotten now, was once a very popular and fancy condiment, with a long history tied to an industry that hardly exists anymore in the United States.
The history of mint jelly is tied intimately with the history of lamb consumption. There have been a number of different mint sauces historically popular throughout the world and one version, a mint and vinegar sauce, was commonly eaten on lamb and mutton in England at least since the 19th century. Some European settlers who were familiar with mutton and mint sauce brought the recipe to North America, along with the domesticated sheep and the spearmint necessary to make it. And as the sheep industry grew, the custom of eating it with mint sauce established itself in American culture.
Though no one seems to know exactly why or when, at some point Americans traded their mint sauce for a mint jelly. When doing research on historic foods, it can be very helpful to look at old newspapers for clues about when, how often, and in what way foods were written about. The oldest example of a mint jelly that I found in a Southern California newspaper came in 1905. Before that, all lamb and mint recipes I saw were for the older British style vinegar mint sauce.
Though standard mint jellies today are sweet and have a jammy spreadable consistency, the oldest mint jellies were quirkier and more varied. Many were made with gelatin, and they often called for lamb broth as the liquid or vinegar for flavoring. Some had lemon added. A few had “a little sugar.” They were sometimes referred to as aspics or savory gelatin. And the recipes often described setting the gelatin in a mold and then displaying it, or cutting flat sheets of the jelly into small attractive cubes that could be spooned on top of something.
Within a decade of their first appearance, however, the recipes standardized, and mint jelly settled into its place as a sweet fruit spread that was flavored with steeped mint or mint extract. By the 1920s references to mint jelly in printed newspapers peaked for the first time (references peak a second time in the late 1960s before plummeting). The condiment had an aura of fanciness and was included on menus for hotel restaurants, and suggested for parties, Sundays, and holidays. Canning and preserving food was increasingly popular in the early 1900s and home cooks took up the challenge with recipes in food columns and cookbooks. It was a wonderful time to be mint jelly.
So, what happened then to this food which used to be so beloved? The answer to its fall is the same as its rise—the consumption of lamb.
Though we eat a great deal of meat per capita in the United States, lamb is a decreasing percentage of it. Surprisingly, given how the human population has grown, the number of sheep in the United States peaked way back in the 1880s with a total of around 51 million sheep. Today that number is at 5.2 million sheep and not all of those are used for meat. This means that the average American eats less than a pound of lamb a year (it was around 5 pounds as recently as the 1960s) and half of all people in the United States have never eaten lamb at all. Most of the lamb that is eaten is consumed by a small percentage of immigrants from countries with strong lamb/mutton eating culture.
Which is a shame really, because once I got over my squeamishness, mint jelly really quite lovely.
The recipe listed here is from Ola Powell Malcolm’s 1930 edition of Successful Canning and Preserving. It is always a delight to cook out of this book and this recipe was no exception.
Pour boiling water over the clean mint leaves, cover, and allow to steep for one hour. Press the juice from the leaves and add two tablespoons of this extract to the sugar and apple juice. Boil until the jelly test is obtained, or about 222° Fahrenheit, and then add green coloring. If fresh mint is not convenient to use, add two drops of oil of peppermint just before removing the finished jelly from the fire. Pour into hot glasses.
I wasn’t sure if modern, pasteurized apple juice would set properly, so I ended up making my own from fresh apples. This involved boiling three pounds of chopped apples in five cups of water and draining the resulting liquid. Further research says store bought bottled apple juice probably would have worked just fine, but I give myself extra points for authenticity.
About setting the jelly: I used a cooking thermometer rather than attempting a jelly test. But if you do not have a thermometer or just feel like giving it a try, a quick google search will let you know how to test if your jelly is ready using the back of a spoon.
Adult 1: “Mmm, that’s tasty. Its better (than I thought it would be). I normally eat jelly on pancakes or peanut butter and jelly and I feel like it would be delicious on both. Its super sweet. Has a nice after taste. It tastes real. It doesn’t taste fake.”
Adult 3: “Not what I expected. The mint is really lovely and floral with the apple.”
We didn’t have any lamb handy to try it on, but pork would probably be yummy. Or a fruit salad like the one that I am making to accompany it for Sunday, November 15, 2020’s Everything but the Turkey program. You can join us then on Zoom as the Homestead staff tests an authentic 1920s Thanksgiving menu sans turkey.
So, what do you think? Is lamb and mint jelly poised for a comeback? Just the lamb? Just the mint jelly? Let us know. And we hope to see you on Sunday!
The Science Behind Mint and Lamb Our tastebuds pick up the flavor of lamb from compounds called branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs). At the same time, we can link the taste of mint to its branched-chain ketones. Because these flavors are so chemically similar, our brains find them appealing together.
No one quite knows the exact point at which mint became associated with lamb but one thing’s for sure they have been a well-known combination for an incredibly long time.
If you’re eating the seasons then Lamb is an absolute must in April, even more so than the Easter eggs! But why do people in mint with lamb?
In the US lamb chops and mutton with mint have been documented as far back as the old West in the US. On New Year’s Day in 1883 the Palace Arms at the Brown Palace was serving spring lamb with mint sauce, and before World War 1 it seemed to be the menu special at every fine eatery in the West of the US.
Likewise in the UK Lamb and mint has been eaten since around medieval times and there are many theories as to why. In medieval times the main export for the English was sheep’s wool, so it is said that they wanted to stop the locals eating sheep as this depleted the stock for generating wool. In order to do this a law was passed that made it illegal to consume lamb without bitter herbs which would give it a foul taste and therefore it would discourage the eating of lamb. Some suggest that the locals managed to get round this by creating mint sauce which they found palatable.
Another explanation is that because lamb is a fatty meat most cooks recognise that it needs an acidic ingredient to cut through this, and a mint sauce was a perfect accompaniment because it composed of fresh mint, sugar and vinegar. This is similar to pork being paired with apple sauce.
So, what happened then to this food which used to be so beloved? The answer to its fall is the same as its rise—the consumption of lamb.
The recipe listed here is from Ola Powell Malcolm’s 1930 edition of Successful Canning and Preserving. It is always a delight to cook out of this book and this recipe was no exception.
Though standard mint jellies today are sweet and have a jammy spreadable consistency, the oldest mint jellies were quirkier and more varied. Many were made with gelatin, and they often called for lamb broth as the liquid or vinegar for flavoring. Some had lemon added. A few had “a little sugar.” They were sometimes referred to as aspics or savory gelatin. And the recipes often described setting the gelatin in a mold and then displaying it, or cutting flat sheets of the jelly into small attractive cubes that could be spooned on top of something.
The slightly longer answer is: mint jelly, for all that it is forgotten now, was once a very popular and fancy condiment, with a long history tied to an industry that hardly exists anymore in the United States.
Though no one seems to know exactly why or when, at some point Americans traded their mint sauce for a mint jelly. When doing research on historic foods, it can be very helpful to look at old newspapers for clues about when, how often, and in what way foods were written about. The oldest example of a mint jelly that I found in a Southern California newspaper came in 1905. Before that, all lamb and mint recipes I saw were for the older British style vinegar mint sauce.
Chef Bartlett – Rosemary Lamb Chops & Mint Jelly
FAQ
What is the history of mint sauce and lamb?
What do you use mint jelly for?
What does mint sauce taste like?
Is mint jelly good for Lamb?
Mint jelly is a common condiment for lamb. Mint is a potent flavorant, and adding it to lamb can help to enhance the taste. Mint also has a cooling effect, which can help to offset the heat of the lamb. What type of jelly is traditionally served with lamb?
What are the benefits of consuming mint leaves?
Mint leaves have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which can improve teeth and gum health. The act of chewing them, also helps with cleaning the mouth and teeth. Mint leaves also boost the immune system, improve skin health, beat morning sickness and nausea, help with allergies and asthma, and manage stress.
How to make mint jelly with Lamb?
To prepare mint jelly with lamb, first start by cooking the lamb according to your favorite recipe. While the lamb is cooking, mix together 1 cup of granulated sugar, 2 cups of cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large saucepan. Once the lamb is cooked, remove it from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
What is mint jelly used for in lamb chops?
Mint jelly is a common ingredient in lamb chops because it is a natural tenderizer and flavoring agent. The mint helps to tenderize the meat, and the jelly helps to add flavor and moisture. What is mint jelly used for? Mint jelly is a type of jelly that is made from a mixture of sugar, water, and mint extract.