Myristica Fragrans
Family: nutmeg (myristicaceae)
Synonyms: pala (Indonesian)
Form of use: seeds and episperm, dried, whole and ground
Origin: the nutmeg tree is a native to the Moluccas or New Guinea. Today, nutmeg is grown mainly in Indonesia, west India, Madagaskar and Mauritius as well as Brazil.
Aroma: the smell of nutmeg is pleasantly spicy, its taste is intensely spicy and slightly fiery. The taste of mace is milder. Mace can always replace nutmeg, but not vice versa.
Use: nutmeg is used to season everything salty, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach and cauliflower are better with a pinch of nutmeg. Thick vegetable soups, light sauces, eggs, fish and meat dishes can also be seasoned with nutmeg. Cheese fondues and eggnog are better with a pinch of nutmeg. Nutmeg is particularly good in sweet dishes like custards, puddings and stewed fruit as well as in Christmas cookies and punches.
Buying/storing: nutmeg is available either as whole or ground nuts and mace is available either ground or as yellow brown perianth. The powder is easier to handle and thus more common. Both spices are available in well-supplied groceries and greater selection of variations is available in spice stores. Nutmeg (as well as mace), should be kept in an airtight, closed container in a dry, dark place.
Properties: Nutmeg trees can live 100 years. In the wild, nutmeg grows up to 50 feet. Its cultivated from is pruned to a more accessible height of 20 feet to make harvesting easier. The tree only bears fruit starting from its eighth year of life and its yield increases up to the fifteenth year, when it peaks. Nutmeg is not the fruit of the nutmeg tree, its fruits is a seed similar to apricots. The period of ripening last 9 months – from blooming until harvest when the tree bears fruit. The fruit is thrashed with long wooden sticks. Fruit flesh, mace or nutmeg blossoms are separated and dried separately or together with the seeds (nutmeg).
Mytology: It is hard to say how long nutmeg was known as a spice in Europe. Martius (1794-1868), a natural scientist and explorer, tried to prove that mace was known to Plautus, a Roman writer, around 200 BC, and nutmeg to scholar Pliny in about 50 AD. Nutmeg was found in Egyptian mummy graves. Thus we know that ancient proved whether it was used as spice or only as a medicine or for occult purposes. Nutmeg and mace belonged, besides cloves and cinnamon, among the most expensive spices during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Medicinal use: Nutmeg plays as important role in folk medicine. Some people believe that if you carry it as an amulet or in a pocket, you will be protected from ulcers and boils. Nutmeg plays an important role in homeopathy even today.
IMPORTANT WARNING:
1-6 teaspoons of nutmeg can be poisonous. The substances it contains are similar to mescaline and amphetamine in a human organism and can alter consciousness and even cause death.
TIPS FOR COOKING:
Nutmeg is a spice best used only in pinches. Use it sparingly or the dish can taste soapy. Because nutmeg develops its aroma only when grated, it is a good idea to buy a nutmeg grater. Nutmeg loses its aroma when warmed, which is why dishes should be spiced only after cooking.
Synonyms: pala (Indonesian)
Form of use: seeds and episperm, dried, whole and ground
Origin: the nutmeg tree is a native to the Moluccas or New Guinea. Today, nutmeg is grown mainly in Indonesia, west India, Madagaskar and Mauritius as well as Brazil.
Aroma: the smell of nutmeg is pleasantly spicy, its taste is intensely spicy and slightly fiery. The taste of mace is milder. Mace can always replace nutmeg, but not vice versa.
Use: nutmeg is used to season everything salty, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach and cauliflower are better with a pinch of nutmeg. Thick vegetable soups, light sauces, eggs, fish and meat dishes can also be seasoned with nutmeg. Cheese fondues and eggnog are better with a pinch of nutmeg. Nutmeg is particularly good in sweet dishes like custards, puddings and stewed fruit as well as in Christmas cookies and punches.
Buying/storing: nutmeg is available either as whole or ground nuts and mace is available either ground or as yellow brown perianth. The powder is easier to handle and thus more common. Both spices are available in well-supplied groceries and greater selection of variations is available in spice stores. Nutmeg (as well as mace), should be kept in an airtight, closed container in a dry, dark place.
Properties: Nutmeg trees can live 100 years. In the wild, nutmeg grows up to 50 feet. Its cultivated from is pruned to a more accessible height of 20 feet to make harvesting easier. The tree only bears fruit starting from its eighth year of life and its yield increases up to the fifteenth year, when it peaks. Nutmeg is not the fruit of the nutmeg tree, its fruits is a seed similar to apricots. The period of ripening last 9 months – from blooming until harvest when the tree bears fruit. The fruit is thrashed with long wooden sticks. Fruit flesh, mace or nutmeg blossoms are separated and dried separately or together with the seeds (nutmeg).
Mytology: It is hard to say how long nutmeg was known as a spice in Europe. Martius (1794-1868), a natural scientist and explorer, tried to prove that mace was known to Plautus, a Roman writer, around 200 BC, and nutmeg to scholar Pliny in about 50 AD. Nutmeg was found in Egyptian mummy graves. Thus we know that ancient proved whether it was used as spice or only as a medicine or for occult purposes. Nutmeg and mace belonged, besides cloves and cinnamon, among the most expensive spices during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Medicinal use: Nutmeg plays as important role in folk medicine. Some people believe that if you carry it as an amulet or in a pocket, you will be protected from ulcers and boils. Nutmeg plays an important role in homeopathy even today.
IMPORTANT WARNING:
1-6 teaspoons of nutmeg can be poisonous. The substances it contains are similar to mescaline and amphetamine in a human organism and can alter consciousness and even cause death.
TIPS FOR COOKING:
Nutmeg is a spice best used only in pinches. Use it sparingly or the dish can taste soapy. Because nutmeg develops its aroma only when grated, it is a good idea to buy a nutmeg grater. Nutmeg loses its aroma when warmed, which is why dishes should be spiced only after cooking.
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