The seed of a tropical evergreen tree from Indonesia's Banda Islands. Nutmeg is warm, sweet and woody, best grated fresh, and a small amount transforms custards, white sauces and spinach.
What it is¶
Nutmeg is the seed of Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree that grows to 10–20 metres in humid tropical lowlands. Its fruit resembles a small apricot. When ripe it splits to reveal a shiny brown seed wrapped in a lacy scarlet covering, the aril, which is dried separately and sold as mace. Inside the seed's thin, brittle shell is the kernel: the nutmeg. After drying for several weeks the kernel shrinks and rattles in the shell, which is then cracked off.
The trees are usually either male or female, and only females bear fruit, so plantations must be thinned once the trees flower, several years after planting. A mature tree can produce fruit for decades.
Origins and history¶
Until the late eighteenth century nutmeg and mace grew commercially almost nowhere but the tiny Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia. They reached India, the Arab world and Europe through Asian and Arab traders, and in medieval Europe nutmeg was a costly luxury.
The Dutch East India Company resolved to monopolise it. In 1621 its forces under Jan Pieterszoon Coen conquered the Bandas; much of the population was killed, enslaved or driven out, and the islands were resettled with plantations worked by enslaved labourers. The English held the small island of Run; under the Treaty of Breda of 1667 England gave up its claim to Run and kept New Amsterdam, which it had seized and renamed New York. The trade-off is often told as "Manhattan for a nutmeg island", which is broadly fair.
During the Napoleonic Wars the British briefly occupied the Bandas and spread nutmeg to their own colonies, including Penang, Sri Lanka and eventually Grenada in the Caribbean, which became so associated with it that a nutmeg appears on the national flag. Hurricane Ivan destroyed a large share of Grenada's trees in 2004, and the industry is still recovering. See the spice islands.
Flavour and aroma¶
Freshly grated nutmeg is warm, sweet, woody and slightly resinous, with a faint pepperiness. Its volatile aroma fades quickly after grating, which is why a fresh nutmeg and a fine grater always beat the ground spice. It is a background spice: at the right level people notice a dish tastes rich and rounded without identifying why.
In the kitchen¶
- White sauces: a few gratings in béchamel, cheese sauce, mornay and lasagne.
- Vegetables: spinach (creamed or with butter), mashed potato, gratin dauphinois, squash, and cabbage.
- Eggs and dairy: custard tart, egg custard, rice pudding, eggnog and quiche.
- Baking: mixed spice, pumpkin spice, fruitcakes, doughnuts, spiced buns and apple desserts.
- Meat: Italian tortellini fillings and mortadella, Dutch and German meatballs and sausages, French quatre epices for charcuterie, and many Middle Eastern and North African blends such as baharat and ras el hanout.
- Indian cooking: jaiphal is used sparingly in garam masala and Mughlai dishes.
- Caribbean drinks: grated over rum punch and eggnog-style drinks in Grenada and across the Caribbean.
💡 How much?
About ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg is enough for a béchamel made with 500 ml milk; ½ tsp is typical in a cake. A whole nutmeg yields roughly 2–3 tsp when grated.
Buying and storing¶
Buy whole nutmegs: they keep their flavour for years in an airtight jar, while ground nutmeg fades within months. Good nutmegs are heavy for their size and release oil when pricked with a pin. A fine rasp grater or a dedicated nutmeg grater is all you need; some pepper-mill-style nutmeg mills work well too. See storing spices.
Substitutes¶
- Mace: the natural substitute, from the same fruit, lighter and more delicate.
- Allspice or mixed spice in baking.
- A little cinnamon with a pinch of cloves in sweet dishes.
Pairs well with¶
Milk, cream, eggs, cheese, spinach, potatoes, squash, pumpkin, apples, pork, veal and rum; cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, ginger, vanilla, black pepper and bay leaf.
Health and safety¶
Nutmeg is safe in culinary amounts, but it is toxic in large doses. Myristicin and elemicin can cause nutmeg poisoning: symptoms, which may begin several hours after eating and can last a day or more, include nausea, a racing heart, dizziness, agitation, anxiety and hallucinations. Poisoning has typically been reported after swallowing roughly 5 g or more (about two teaspoons of the ground spice, roughly a small whole nutmeg), usually much more. Children and pets are especially vulnerable.
The amounts used in cooking, a pinch to half a teaspoon in a dish for several people, are far below this. Keep whole nutmegs where small children cannot chew them, and never take nutmeg as a recreational drug. See nutmeg toxicity.