Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae)

Can be found in our Winter Spice blend.

This spice has its roots way back to Roman times; in fact, Emperor Henry VI was a great fan – prior to his coronation, the streets of Rome were fumigated with nutmeg, on his orders! The pungent aroma would have made a considerable difference to the crowds who waited for the Emperor to pass by.

The provenance of Nutmeg was a secret, closely guarded by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, and indeed they were successful in their secrecy for a century. The Dutch drove the Portuguese out of the Spice Islands, and by 1760, Amsterdam was well stocked with this precious spice. In order to keep the price of the spice high, the warehouses were burned. In an attempt to maintain their monopoly and the high price of Nutmeg (and mace) the Dutch tried to limit the growth of the trees to two islands; however, they did not allow for good old Mother Nature – the birds which carried the seeds to neighbouring islands, where seedlings grew.

The seedlings were transported to Mauritius by a Frenchman, named Pierre Poivre (believed to be children’s Nursery Rhyme character, Peter Piper), and grew well in their new location. This effectively ended the Dutch monopoly of Nutmeg, and served to instigate the weakening of their position in the Spice Islands.

Nutmeg trees were introduced, by the British East India Company, to Penang, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies (particularly Grenada). Nowadays, Grenada and Indonesia are the two main sources of nutmeg and mace.

The trees are evergreen, and native to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas. Growing up to 60 ft they do not produce their fruits until they mature at 15 – 20 years. The crop lifecycle is extensive, lasting for 30 – 40 years, with a crop ranging between 1500 and 2000 fruits per year.

Apricot coloured and sized fruits split when ripe, and the red arils (the mace of the nutmeg seed) surrounding the brown nut, can be seen. The mace, which is orange colour, is removed from the nut and left to dry, and the nut is dried until the kernel can be heard to rattle. The nutmeg shell is then tapped on the end (if the shell is knocked on its side, the kernel can be damaged), which splits the shell, and the kernel can be removed.

The difference between Nutmeg and Mace:

Both are sweet, aromatic, and warming.

They are similar in flavour, but nutmeg tends to be the sweeter.

Mace tends to be used more in savoury dishes, and can be used either as whole blades, or ground.

Mace is used to:-

• flavour milk-based sauces (béchamel)
• flavour processed meat products (sausages and charcuterie)
• enhance the flavour of soups, fish and seafood dishes
• add a warming sensation to pickles and chutneys.

Nutmeg is often used in:-

• desserts, cakes and drinks (mixed with cinnamon and star anise at Christmas and sprinkled onto your Cappuccino!)
• spinach and cheese pasta dishes
• risotto, tomato based sauces and sauces for chicken and fish
• mashed potato, to lift the otherwise bland flavour, especially when served with lamb
• Gingerbread and biscuits

* Try our recipe for Courgettes or Banana Sandwich (thanks to Dave Cornick) with Winter Spice blend!

Malaysians crystallise or pickle the outer husk of the nutmeg, then sell the slices or halves as a snack.

* Cromptons Kitchen uses ground nutmeg in its Winter Spice blend. When mixed with wet natural grey sea salt, the flavour intensifies, thereby allowing you to use less salt to achieve your end results.