Nutmeg

Nutmeg trees are dense evergreens that can grow 10 to 20 metres tall, with glossy dark leaves and small pale yellow bell-shaped flowers. The fruit is a fleshy yellow drupe resembling an apricot that splits open when ripe to show a single brown seed wrapped in a bright red, net-like covering called the aril. The seed is oval, about 2 to 3 centimetres long, with a wrinkled surface and a pale marbled interior. It is dried until the kernel rattles in its shell, and the shell is then cracked away. Whole seeds are usually grated fresh, because ground nutmeg loses its aroma quickly.

The nutmeg tree is native to the Banda Islands in the Maluku group of eastern Indonesia, a tiny area that was once the only source of the spice in the world. The tree needs a hot, humid tropical climate with steady rainfall and rich volcanic soil. Today nutmeg is also grown in Grenada, which is known as the Isle of Spice, in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and parts of the Caribbean. Trees are either male or female, and take around seven to nine years to start producing a good crop.

Evidence for nutmeg use around the Banda Islands goes back thousands of years, and the spice reached the Mediterranean world through Indian Ocean and overland trade routes. It was known in Europe by the medieval period, where it was prized for flavour and for its supposed medicinal qualities and sold at very high prices. The Arab traders who carried it kept the source secret for a long time.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Portugal and then the Dutch East India Company fought to control the nutmeg trade. The Dutch took the Banda Islands by force in the early seventeenth century and tried to maintain a monopoly by limiting where the trees could grow. The monopoly was ended when other powers, including the British and French, moved seedlings to other tropical colonies. This history of rivalry made nutmeg one of the most famous examples of the early spice trade.

Freshly grated nutmeg is used in custards, rice puddings, eggnog, mulled drinks, cakes, cookies and spiced breads. It is a classic seasoning for white sauce and cheese dishes, spinach, potatoes and pumpkin, and features in Dutch, Italian and Indonesian cooking as well as in garam masala-style blends and Caribbean punches. Mace has a similar but more delicate flavour and is used in pound cakes, sausages and light-coloured sauces. Nutmeg is used in tiny amounts, a pinch or a few light grates per dish, and is best added near the end of cooking to keep its aroma.

Nutmeg is eaten in very small amounts, so it adds almost no meaningful calories or nutrients to the diet. It contains volatile oils and compounds such as myristicin and eugenol, which give it its aroma and have been studied in laboratory research. It is a seasoning and not a significant source of vitamins or protein. A pinch fits easily into a balanced diet and may help reduce the need for added sugar in sweet dishes, but there is no reliable evidence for strong health benefits from the amounts used in cooking.