These days we don't think much about popping a fresh-tasting promotional mint into our mouths to help say goodbye to bad breath after a meal. In fact, mints are trendy items promotional giveaways at conventions and trade shows because people become more confident in communicating when they're confident in their breath. But who invented mints? Were they a recent invention, or perhaps from the Victorian era? The truth is even more amazing!

• Mints are flavored candies or tablets that freshen breath and provide a refreshing taste.
• They are made from sugar or sugar substitutes, along with natural or artificial flavorings.
• Mints have a long history and were invented in ancient Egypt to combat bad breath caused by tooth decay.

What are Mints?

Mints are small, flavored candies or tablets that are known for their refreshing taste and ability to freshen breath. They are typically made from sugar or sugar substitutes, along with natural or artificial flavorings. Mints often contain ingredients such as mint oil, peppermint, spearmint, or other flavors that provide a cooling sensation and a pleasant taste.

They are commonly consumed after meals or as a quick breath freshener throughout the day. Mints are available in various forms, including hard candies, chewable tablets, and dissolvable strips, and they come in a wide range of flavors to suit different preferences. In addition to their flavoring properties, some mints may also contain ingredients that claim to provide additional benefits, such as soothing a sore throat or promoting oral health.

Customised Mints Were Invented in Ancient Egypt

That's right, although ancient Egyptians didn't eat the same sugary diets we enjoy in the modern era tooth decay still plagued them. A combination of limited dental hygiene and a high level of grit from grinding stones in a typical Egyptian diet meant that tooth enamel wore down quickly and decay was a common problem, particularly among the lower classes. A lack of specialist dental care meant that once most Egyptians wound up with tooth decay, they would simply have to suffer with it until the affected teeth fell out.

That's where the mints come in! Even if they couldn't do much about the level of tooth decay, Egyptians could do something about the unpleasant breath that resulted from it. By combining commonly available ingredients such as cinnamon, honey, frankincense, and myrrh, ancient Egyptian mints may not have been as refined (or as typically "minty") as our modern breath mints, but they certainly did the job. So next time you pop a mint into your mouth before a date or after a meal, spare a thought for the ancient Egyptian people who came up with these handy pellets of breath relief all those years ago.

Takeaway

Mints, small flavored candies or tablets, have been used for centuries to freshen breath and combat bad breath. Ancient Egyptians invented mints to address the issue of tooth decay and its resulting unpleasant breath. Today, mints continue to be popular as promotional items, offering a refreshing taste and boosting confidence in social interactions.

Details first spotted here: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/5-amazing-ancient-egyptian-inventions6.htm