Like cilantro and coriander, nutmeg is a 2-in-1 spice with mace: mace is the outer lacy covering of the fruit while nutmeg is the hard inner kernel. Four hundred pounds of nutmeg will only yield one pound of mace, a fact which means that you won’t find mace on the shelves of your grocery store very often–if at all.
Like cloves and black pepper, nutmeg originated in the famed Spice Islands. Portugese merchants brought it back to Europe in the 1500s, and beginning in the 1600s, the Dutch monopolized the trade (along with cloves). They retained control of it for 150 years, until the French broke their stranglehold by smuggling out nutmeg trees.
Nowadays, nutmeg is an essential ingredient in eggnog, fettucine alfredo, and creamed spinach. It is also used in baked goods such as apple pies, and a little sprinkling of it is delicious on fresh fruit and French toast. Both ground nutmeg and whole kernels are available–if you purchase the latter, be sure to purchase a small grater to use with it.
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Tags: dutch, french, mace, nutmeg, spice history, spice islands
