Nutmeg & Mace are two distinctly diï¬?erent spices produced from a fruit of an evergreen tree usually 9â??12 mtr high. Mace is the dried reticulated \'aril\' of the fruit and nutmeg is the dried seed kernel of the fruit. The trees are normally unisexual, bearing either male or femaleï¬?owers. The male ï¬?owers are born in clusters, whereas female ï¬?owersareoftensolitary. Fruitisaï¬?eshydrupe, spherical in shape, pale yellow in color with a longitudinal groove in the center. When the fruit matures it burst open along the groove exposing the bright attractive mace, covering the hard black, shiny shell of the seed called nutmeg.
The nutmeg tree is indigenous to the Moluccas. The major nutmeg growing areas are Indonesia and Granada. It has also grown smaller scale in Sri Lanka, India, China, Malaysia, Zanzibar, Mauritius, and Solomon Island. Nutmeg thrives well in places with warm humid climates from sea level up to 600 meters MSL. It grows on a variety of soils from sandy to clayey loams and red laterite soils with good drainage. A wellâ??distributed annual rainfall of 250 cm is ideal for the crop.
Both nutmeg and mace are used as condiments, particularly in sweet foods. The spice in the ground form is mainly used in the food processing industry, especially as a standard seasoning in many Dutch dishes. Nutmeg oleoresin is used in the preparation of meat products, soups, sauces, baked foods, confectionaries, puddings, seasoning of meat and vegetable, etc. The �eshy outer cover of the fruit is crystallized or pickled or made into jellies. Mace is used in savory dishes. It is used as a drug in Eastern countries because of its stimulant, carminative, astringent, and aphrodisiac properties. Excessive doses have narcotic effects. Nutmeg oil is used in cosmetics and toiletries.
