Nutmeg is the spice made by grinding the seed of the fragrant nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) into powder.
What is nutmeg made of?
Nutmeg is a spice made from the inner portion of the seed contained inside the plant’s apricot-sized fruit. It’s derived from the seed of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans), an evergreen tree native to the Maluku Islands (aka Indonesia’s spice islands).
What is wood nutmeg?
The American English term wooden nutmeg, meaning “anything false or fraudulent,” dates from 1829, when Connecticut traders were known to place fake wooden nutmegs in batches of real ones to defraud customers.
Is nutmeg obtained from tree bark?
Nutmeg is a popular spice used around the world. It’s made from the seeds of the evergreen tree Myristica fragrans, which is indigenous to the Moluccas of Indonesia — also known as the Spice Islands ( 1 ).
Is a nutmeg a tree?
nutmeg, (Myristica fragrans), tropical evergreen tree (family Myristicaceae) and the spice made of its seed. The tree is native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia and is principally cultivated there and in the West Indies.
Why was nutmeg so valuable?
So, why was nutmeg so valuable? Well, Krondl likens it to the iPhone of the 1600s. It was fashionable among the wealthy. It was exotic and potent enough to induce hallucinations — or at least a nutmeg bender, as detailed in this account from The Atlantic.
Why do they call it a nutmeg?
Why do they call it a nutmeg when a footballer kicks a ball through his opponent’s legs? It’s rhyming slang for legs. Through the nutmegs, through the legs – you’ve been nutmegged.
Is there fake nutmeg?
Over time, Yankee peddlers developed a reputation for selling fake nutmegs made of carved wood. Customers unfamiliar with the native form of the spice decided they had been sold a counterfeit or “wooden nutmegs” after futilely trying to grind the unusually hard seed instead of the hard-aromatic seed of the nutmeg tree.
What is a whole nutmeg called?
Nutmeg – Whole
Nutmeg, or Myristica fragrans, is a large light brown seed roughly the size of a plum pit, that provides two different spices: nutmeg, and mace. Nutmeg is the interior seed of the whole nutmeg seed, and mace is gathered from the thin red membrane inside the nutmeg shell.
Which country produces the most nutmeg?
Indonesia
Indonesia is the largest world producer of nutmeg and mace and accounts for three-quarters of world production and export. Grenada is the second largest producer and exporter.
Where is the best nutmeg from?
Indonesia. The Banda Islands in Maluku Province, Indonesia, are the earliest known nutmeg cultivation areas in the world. The islands are also known as Spice Islands. Indonesia is the world’s top producer of nutmeg, making up about 50% of the world’s production.
Where does nutmeg come from originally?
Nutmeg is the inner kernel of the outer layer or aril, mace, from the fruit tree Myristica fragrans. Nutmeg was originally found in the Bandu Islands, also part of Malaku, Indonesia.
Does nutmeg make you sleepy?
A little nutmeg has been shown to aid sleep, both in duration and quality.
What does nutmeg do for a woman?
Even according to Ayurveda, this spice helps in calming the nervous system and improves blood circulation to the reproductive organs. This is the reason why it has been deemed as women’s viagra.
What tree makes nutmeg?
Myristica fragrans
Where Does Nutmeg Come From? Nutmeg is the seed of the evergreen tree, Myristica fragrans. The inner seed is enveloped by a bright red aril known by spice traders as mace.
Is nutmeg a fruit or nut?
Nutmeg is not a nut but it is a mega spice and as such pose no risk to persons who have nut allergies. Nutmeg is actually a fruit with a single seed which makes it a drupe, similar to an apricot.
What fruit does nutmeg come from?
Myristica fragrans (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, and mace, from the seed covering.
Can you grow nutmeg in the US?
Nutmeg hails from the Indonesian Islands, once called the Spice Islands. Nutmeg grows successfully in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11.
Was nutmeg a cure for the plague?
Nutmeg’s value wasn’t just culinary; it was believed to have medicinal properties, including as protection against the bubonic plague that periodically wiped out large chunks of the population.
Is nutmeg good for health?
Properties of Nutmeg:
Nutmeg is used for a variety of health conditions due to its medicinal properties such as: It may have anti-inflammatory properties.
Can we take nutmeg daily?
How much nutmeg is safe per day? While there are no specific guidelines on how much nutmeg you should have per day, its recommended that you should not exceed 1 to 2mg a day. Studies suggest that toxic reactions occur when taken at 5g and above.