Nutmeg

‘Tis the season for baking and eggnog, and one of the spices frequently used is nutmeg (Myristica fragrans). I remember a trip to the islands and a beachside outdoor “imbibing emporium.” The bartender had a nutmeg grater suspended around her neck and floated freshly ground nutmeg on the top of our drinks. I was surprised to find that the practice dates back to the Middle Ages when proper gentlemen carried a nutmeg grater in their pockets at the ready.

Nutmeg is native to the Banda group of the Molucca Islands, or the Spice Islands of Indonesia, which are between the Philippines and New Guinea. Although it is now cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, most of us associate nutmeg with Grenada. Nutmeg was a very important commodity in the spice trade, and the English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch all vied for control of the Molucca Islands and their precious spices. The Dutch were able to monopolize production of nutmeg until the Second World War.

Nutmeg growers actually produce two spices: nutmeg and mace. The nutmeg is actually a seed inside a fruit that resembles an apricot. Once the ripe fruit is broken open you can see the seed, which is covered with a bright red latticework called an aril. The aril is what gives us the culinary spice mace.

Nutmeg is not only used for cooking sweet and savory dishes, but also as an ingredient in perfume, as a Roman incense, as a love potion, and as protection against bad luck. It has also been recommended as a remedy for bad breath, insomnia, and to prevent dizziness, memory loss and freckles. Supposedly 15th century Londoners would mix nutmeg, saffron and hot pepper into a beverage which could cure death “if administered within the moon.”

Regardless of all its magical powers, processed nutmeg quickly loses its flavor so always tastes best when freshly grated.

Illustration from the Botanical Library, Gothenburg University.