Nutmeg Ground

Other Common Names: Muskat, Muskatnuss. Botanical Name: (Myristica fragrans)

Nutmeg and mace are contained within a yellow to light-brown fleshy fruit resembling a peach that grows on an evergreen tree. Nutmeg, regarded as a sweet spice, is used in sweet dishes, with fruit and in pastries. Compliments vegetables such as pumpkin, carrot and spinach. Mace however is more pungent and tends to be used in savoury dishes such as sauces for fish, in pickles and chutneys. When picked and cut open the blood red mace is removed and dried. The nutmeg with shell is dried until it rattles, the thin outer shell is then removed leaving the inner nutmeg. Whole mace is referred to as ‘blade’ mace. Whole nutmegs should be sound and unbroken with little or no evidence of worm activity. The volatile oil in nutmeg and mace contains small amounts of myristicin and elemicin, which are narcotic and poisonous when consumed in very large quantities, therefore they should be used in the quantities specified in recipes. It is common to want to substitute nutmeg for mace, however this is not recommended as the flavours are different.