I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 40: Xylitol (2)

Xylitol is a “top-rated” dietary supplement that has been proven to prevent tooth decay.

The fact that xylitol is extracted from oak trees was not difficult to recognize in my previous life.

However, the reason I created xylitol was not to prevent cavities because many conditions had to be met to prevent cavities with xylitol.

You have to brush your teeth first, and it doesn’t work if you use it for a short period of time.

You’d have to use it for at least half a year to a year to see results.

Xylitol was only a supportive tool to get people to brush their teeth.

Think of it as a “reward” for brushing your teeth.

Even in this world, the knowledge that you shouldn’t eat or drink after brushing your teeth has been proven by countless experiences.

So my idea was that if I could freshen up the mouth with xylitol after the hellish brushing process, people would be less averse to brushing their teeth.

“But still, isn’t it a bit risky to use ‘mint’?”

Ciel’s initial reaction to my idea of using mint in xylitol was to object.

After all, in this world, mint is used as an insect repellent.

Other than that, mint was not used for food and the reason was simple.

‘The dwarves don’t like it.’

Dwarves were particularly sensitive to the flavor of mint.

Even dwarven grog, a mixture of various herbs that was considered to be the essence of herbs, did not contain mint.

The dwarves’ obsessive rejection of mint had spread to the humans, and as a result, the humans only used it as an insect repellent, not as an edible but I disagreed.

‘Xylitol is mint, no matter what.’

Mint’s cool, refreshing aroma made my nostrils flare up just by inhaling it.

In my previous life, it was used in toothpaste, gargle, candy, gum, ice cream, and everything else.

Of course, this versatility has led to some controversial combinations, such as…….

‘Mint chocolate.’

I’m not a fan, and I’m not a hater, but the love-hate relationship with mint chocolate is frightening.

The dislikers condemned mixing mint with mint and chocolate with chocolate as “sacrilegious” because it ruined the purity of the flavor.

Just as chocolate-flavored kimchi jjigae or ketchup-flavored kimchi jjigae are grotesque, mint chocolate is the same.

Other reasons for rejecting mint chocolate varied, with some people liking only chocolate, some liking only mint, and some disliking both.

Some people didn’t even consider mint chocolate edible at all.

“Come on……you don’t eat toothpaste, do you?”

It was a natural progression of common sense, but it was also a matter of taste.

Some people thought that mint and chocolate were a great combination that compensated for each other’s weaknesses.

This was the so-called complementarity theory: the sticky, gooey flavor of chocolate is complemented by the freshness of mint.

It starts out sweet and ends cool and refreshing, which is appealing.

“Mint chocolate is a precious food that was only eaten by the British royal family and aristocrats!”

Was their claim…….

It was a serious fallacy, starting with the fact that the country was England.

Anyway,

‘It’s a tricky product to make, that’s for sure.’

The rise of the Vikings led to the rise of ‘maritime trade’ and people began to travel to distant seas.

In the wake of this, many goods came from across the ocean, and it wasn’t long before chocolate was introduced and commercialized.

Mint and chocolate were the ingredients, but I had no intention of making my own mint chocolate.

Not only did I doubt that mint chocolate was a popular flavor, but I also had to think about the relationship with the dwarves.

If the dwarves saw my mint chocolate, I wouldn’t be surprised if an axe grew from my head that day.

People can be likable or unlikeable, but dwarves were 100% pure unlikeable.

It’s even said that the reason dwarves don’t get along with elves is because of the “mint tea” that elves drink.

I had no intention of making mint chocolate, but mint was an essential ingredient for xylitol.

I had to have mint to capture the otherworldly, harsh, intense toothpaste flavor.

My thoughts were exactly right.

“Wow, this totally blows the toothpaste flavor out of the water!”

“This is so refreshing!”

People who tried the Xylitol Mint flavor were surprised at how refreshing it was.

The minty flavor, which freshens up the mouth, takes away the toothpaste taste.

Above all, the statement that “you can eat after brushing your teeth” was the trigger for people to seek out xylitol.

Xylitol, which could be eaten without guilt, was like a drought relief for the people who had been unable to eat after brushing their teeth.

It was no wonder that the people were so enthusiastic about xylitol because it not only eliminated the terrible taste of otherworldly toothpaste, but also made their mouths feel cool.

[Xylitol, the candy you eat after you brush your teeth!

[I, Anise Somernut, I love xylitol after I brush my teeth]

[Today I have a candy that you can eat after brushing your teeth]

The ads for xylitol, the “after-gargle candy,” were constantly playing in the liquor stores of the Empire.

“Now, you’re not going to eat xylitol when you haven’t brushed your teeth, are you?”

“Hmmm, what do you mean, of course I’m going to brush my teeth first.”

People’s minds were naturally conditioned to think that xylitol should be consumed after brushing their teeth.

Of course, people were less reluctant to brush their teeth.

On the other hand, the popularity of xylitol brought something else into the spotlight: mint.

The people’s perception of mint, which had been considered an insect repellent rather than something to eat, changed thanks to xylitol.

“I put mint in my tea yesterday, and you know what, it’s really refreshing, right?”

“Huh, I never knew mint was so refreshing!”

The people began to recognize mint as edible, not just insect repellent, and a cup of mint tea after a meal became a trend.

And just as the people’s perception of mint was improving, another product was launched by the White Tower.

【Mint-flavored toothpaste! Try it now at Trion Store!】

“Mint flavored toothpaste?!”

“Oh my God…!”

Mint-flavored toothpaste was here.

*

“Gahhhhh!”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Delicious, what?”

“Toothpaste! Mint flavor! It’s a revolution!”

The people’s reaction to the mint-flavored toothpaste was enthusiastic.

The toothpaste they had been using tasted like chewing on coal ash and was bitter and gritty.

However, when mint flavor was added to the toothpaste, the roughness disappeared as if it had been washed away.

And then there was xylitol after brushing.

For the people, brushing their teeth was no longer something to dread.

“Would you like to brush your teeth with me?”

“Sure!”

Men and women brushing their teeth together after meals became a common sight, and bits of xylitol were not uncommon on people’s hands.

Not surprisingly, fewer people suffered from tooth decay as brushing became a way of life.

All of this happened because of a single herb: mint.

This naturally led to Yuri’s interest in xylitol, which he discovered.

“Mr. Yuri traveled all the way to Yuren to find xylitol.”

“I can’t believe that’s why you went to Yuren……!”

“I assume you’ve heard of the mint tea the elves drink?”

“Hmm, I’ve heard of it through the grapevine…….”

“You’re the one who invented that mint tea.”

“What?!”

Of course, most of the rumors were untrue, but people no longer bothered to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

“That could be true if it’s the White Tower.”

“Sure, if it’s Yuri…….”

Even falsehoods became true when the White Tower was involved.

And Yuri Grail, the inventor of mint-flavored toothpaste, was honored by the Minister of Magic for his efforts.

“A candy you can eat after brushing your teeth, how did you come up with that?”

“I got lucky.”

“You’re too modest.”

The grave-looking gentleman chuckled.

“A lucky man would never think of using mint as ‘edible’.”

Owen Somernut, Minister of Magic and Marquis of the Empire, had nothing but praise for Yuri.

This was not an exaggeration or an inflated statement.

As Minister of Magic, Owen knew how difficult it was to correct perceptions.

There were many instances where even the common sense of the Ministry’s current knowledge was met with a wall of ‘preconceived notions’ from the people.

But Yuri had broken through that barrier and used mint, which was supposed to be an insect repellent, as an edible.

Owen was impressed.

“I heard you traveled all the way to Yuren to find xylitol.”

“That’s a misconception.”

“I see.”

Owen smirked.

He liked Yuri, who was not arrogant in person, but humble.

“I’ll look out for you in the future.”

“Thank you.”

A magical medallion was placed on Yuri’s chest, signifying “Honorary Advisor to the Ministry of Magic.”

*

The development of mint toothpaste ended when Yuri was awarded the Order of Honor by the Ministry of Magic.

And just like that, mint toothpaste was on its way to becoming the universal toothpaste of the people, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Magic.

“Blen, brush your teeth when you’re done eating!”

“Okay, I’ll brush!”

Blen was an ordinary boy living in the Somernut Marquisate.

Today, as he listened to his parents nagging him, Blen went into the bathroom and picked up his toothbrush.

It was an act that would have killed him in the past, but he didn’t hesitate to put toothpaste on his toothbrush.

“The White Tower is a god.”

Enjoying the minty flavor of the toothpaste, Blen happily brought the toothbrush to his mouth.

He was about to begin brushing when his eyes fell on an object sticking out of his pocket.

A brown square of food wrapped in a wrapper.

It had come from across the ocean, and it was chocolate, Blen’s favorite processed food outside of the White Tower’s products.

“…….”

After brushing his teeth, Blen hesitated for a moment and put down his toothbrush, since he hadn’t started yet.

After he finished the chocolate, he started brushing his teeth.

Forgetting to rinse his mouth, Blen absentmindedly rubbed the wet toothbrush against his teeth.

“……?”

That day, Blen remembered.

“Mmm, yummy!”

The combination of ‘mint’ and ‘chocolate’.