Nutmeg seed Myristica fragrans

LATIN NAME: Myristica fragrans

COMMON NAME: Nutmeg

Nutmeg is the warm, fragrant spice tree of the spice islands, and the dried seed and the lacy covering around it have been two of the great spices of the world for centuries. The handsome, evergreen tree carries glossy, oval leaves and small, pale-yellow flowers, and the apricot-like fruit follows, opening at maturity to reveal the shiny, brown seed wrapped in the red, lacy aril. The seed is dried to give the nutmeg, and the aril is dried to give the mace. It is a tree of the warm, moist, tropical lowlands.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Nutmeg has a rich and well-documented story in the plant science and the history of the spice trade. The aromatic compounds in the seed and the aril have been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the spice crops and the tropical trees. The history of the nutmeg, which was once one of the most valuable of the spices and a prize of the old trade routes, is a familiar of the botanical and the historical journals. The cultivation and the drying of the seed and the mace are well documented, so the science and the practice here are solid.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Nutmeg is one of the great spices of the world, and the dried seed is grated over the puddings, the pies, the sauces and the warm drinks, while the mace from the red aril is used in the finer cookery. The spice was once so valuable that it helped to drive the old trade routes of the warm oceans, and the tree is still grown as a serious cash crop in the spice islands. In the right, warm, humid lowlands it is also a fine, handsome evergreen tree. It has been written about in the agricultural and the food papers for its value and its fine, warm flavour.

Nutmeg comes from the spice islands of the warm east, and it was once one of the most valuable of the spices of the world, worth a small fortune and fought over by the trading powers of the old world. The apricot-like fruit opens to reveal the shiny, brown seed wrapped in the red, lacy aril, and the seed is dried to give the nutmeg while the aril gives the mace. The warm, sweet-spicy flavour is grated over the puddings, the pies, the sauces and the warm drinks, and the tree is still grown as a serious cash crop in the spice islands. It is a tree of the warm, moist, tropical lowlands.

To grow the nutmeg from seed, sow the fresh, plump seeds right away at a depth of a couple of centimetres in pots of moist, free-draining soil, since the seed does not keep and is best sown while it is fresh, and keep them in a warm, humid, shaded spot, watering gently. The seedlings push through in good time and grow on into young trees that prefer the warmth, the humidity and the shade of the taller plants. Give them a warm, sheltered corner, and the fragrant spice tree will grow on through the years.

Whole nutmeg is often used grated and is suitable for curries and desserts. Fresh nutmeg will usually impart a richer flavour than the powdered type.From the seed of the tropical evergreen of the fruit which produces the spice Mace. Nutmeg is spicy, warm and sweet. It is excellent in baked goods and savory cream sauces. Whole nutmeg is superior to commerically ground nutmeg.