What’s Up With That Food: Nutmeg
Paste uncovers the background of foods you've always wondered about
We may sprinkle it absent-mindedly on eggnog or add it to cookies around the holidays, but nutmeg is powerful stuff. It’s why a little goes a long way, and why it spawned trade wars in the 17th century. Nutmeg is also a narcotic. Who knew this spice had such a dark and sordid history?
Type of Food: Seed
Name: Pala
Origins: Nutmeg is one of two spices—the other is mace—derived from several species of tree in the genus Myristica fragrans Houtt. Nutmeg is the dried seed of the plant; mace is the dried aril that surrounds the shell that encloses the seed. So when you grate a little knob of nutmeg, it’s the shelled, dried seed of the fruit. As the seed matures, the nutmeg kernel splits from the mace. (Mace is also often a spice that people are confounded by, but the Scots know to add both to haggis.)
Why/How Did We Start Eating It: Nutmeg is native to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas, Indonesia, and is also found in the Caribbean, especially Granada. Historically, it was prized for its curative properties (anti-viral qualities, along with warding off the plague—no biggie) and for its myriad culinary uses. Arab and European traders had never seen or smelled the likes of it before. Nutmeg caused minor wars between the Dutch and the British, who were both trying to exploit the Banada Island’s nutmeg and mace crop for profit—when the European medical community claimed nutmeg offered protection against the plague, demand shot through the roof.
It also apparently can directly cause some contractions. “In the Middle Ages, it was used to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, and it is strong enough to stimulate menstruation,” says Scott Schreiber, a chiropractor, acupuncturist and clinical nutritionist in Newark, Del.
How It’s Used: Nutmeg has a number of uses, some of them rather subtle and somewhat undetectable. Around this time of year, it’s often used in baked goods like pies and cookies and sprinkled over a glass of eggnog. But this little shapeshifter goes way beyond holiday baking duty. Indian cuisine incorporates nutmeg in sweet and savory dishes, and nutmeg found its way in savory applications in the Middle East. In Europe, it’s used in soups, stews, eggs, and as a counterpoint to many rich dishes laden with dairy. Likewise, Italian filled pastas and dumplings such as tortelloni, ravioli, and gnocchi often get a dash of nutmeg. Gates Rickard of Bear in Boots Gastropub on Cape Cod, Mass. uses it “liberally in barbecue rubs, because it adds a nutty, floral note to meats.”
The red outer webbing, once dried, is the spice mace; the remaining large seed is nutmeg. Photo by Harvey Barrison CC BY-SA
Private chef Steph Celic of Brooklyn, New York likes how nutmeg is a bit of a chameleon when you cook with it. “When mixed with lemon zest, it brightens. Use it with smoky cumin and it warms the dish up. For the holidays, I sprinkle a decadent hot chocolate with nutmeg, and it adds a spicy, almost gingery note.” She also recommends trying it with braised or sautéed greens.
Avi Shemtov of the Boston food truck the Chubby Chickpea and author of The Single Guy Cookbook uses it in their shawarma. “Nutmeg is a really great bridge between savory and sweet. We marinade boneless chicken thighs in nutmeg, cayenne, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper and turmeric before roasting them. Delicious!” he says.
Chef Trish Tracey sings its praises, saying it’s far more versatile than most people give it credit for. She uses it in her butternut squash soup at Myriad Gastro Pub in San Francisco, but not in a way that you might think. “We use a nicely spiced ras al hanout as well, and the nutmeg in conjunction with the exotic spice blend makes for a really interesting butternut squash soup. Ras al hanout is a North African spice blend much like a curry or a garam masala. Each household has their own version. It has big bold flavor that adds heat, sweet and savory to a dish.”