The dried aril that wraps the nutmeg seed. Mace tastes like a lighter, more delicate nutmeg with citrus and pepper notes, and is a classic in potted shrimps, pale sauces, sausages and baking.
What it is¶
Mace is the aril of the nutmeg fruit: a lacy, fleshy, bright scarlet net that wraps the seed. When the fruit splits open, the aril is peeled off by hand, flattened, and dried, during which it turns from scarlet to orange, amber or tan. Pieces of dried aril are sold as blade mace, and are also ground.
Because each fruit yields only a thin web of aril around a much heavier seed, mace is produced in far smaller quantities than nutmeg and usually costs more. In Hindi it is javitri; nutmeg is jaiphal.
Origins and history¶
Mace shares its history with nutmeg: for centuries both came almost entirely from the Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia, and the brutal Dutch conquest of the islands in 1621 was fought over both. In medieval and early modern Europe mace was often valued more highly than nutmeg. A frequently told story has a Dutch official, unaware that the two came from the same fruit, ordering fewer nutmeg trees and more mace trees to be planted; it is probably apocryphal.
Mace was a staple of English cookery from the medieval period through the eighteenth century, flavouring pies, puddings, possets, potted meats and sauces. See spices in britain and the spice islands.
Flavour and aroma¶
Mace tastes of nutmeg, but lighter, sweeter and more refined, with a slightly citrus, peppery top note and less of nutmeg's woody weight. It blends easily into pale, delicate dishes, which is part of why it survives in classic British and French cooking. Whole blades release flavour slowly and can be infused and removed; ground mace is more intense.
In the kitchen¶
- Potted shrimps and potted meats: the classic British use. Warm 250 g brown shrimps in 125 g butter with a good pinch of ground mace and a little cayenne pepper, pot and seal with more butter.
- Infusions: drop a blade or two into the milk for béchamel, bread sauce or custard, with a bay leaf and onion, and remove before using.
- Fish and shellfish: fish pies, fish soups and crab.
- Sausages and charcuterie: many British and European sausages, pâtés and terrines include mace.
- Baking: pound cake, doughnuts, spiced breads and fruit cakes; also mixed spice.
- Indian cooking: javitri is used, often with green cardamom, in Mughlai and Awadhi kormas, biryanis and some versions of garam masala.
- Pickles and ketchups: a traditional ingredient of pickling spice.
💡 Swapping between mace and nutmeg
Mace is gentler per pinch than freshly grated nutmeg in most dishes, though ground mace can be potent. When substituting nutmeg for mace, start with about three-quarters of the amount and taste.
Buying and storing¶
Blade mace keeps well for two to three years in an airtight jar away from light, which fades its colour and aroma. Ground mace keeps for about six months. Good blade mace is bright orange to amber, supple rather than dusty, and highly aromatic. Blades are hard to grind in a pestle and mortar; a spice grinder works better. See storing spices.
Substitutes¶
- Nutmeg: the obvious swap; use about three-quarters as much and grate it finely.
- A pinch of allspice or a little cinnamon and black pepper in savoury dishes.
- Mixed spice in baking.
Pairs well with¶
Butter, cream, milk, fish, shellfish, pork, chicken, veal, eggs, potatoes and cakes; nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, white pepper, green cardamom and saffron.
Health and safety¶
Mace contains the same compounds as nutmeg, including myristicin and elemicin, and is similarly toxic in large amounts, causing nausea, palpitations and hallucinations. Culinary quantities are far below the doses associated with poisoning. See nutmeg toxicity.
Did you know¶
Fresh mace is a brilliant scarlet, and in producing regions the fresh aril is sometimes candied or eaten, while the fleshy outer fruit of the nutmeg is made into jams, syrups and sweets, notably in Indonesia, Grenada and Kerala. Very little of the fruit goes to waste: the seed becomes nutmeg, the aril becomes mace, and the husk becomes preserves.