This time I would like to introduce you to this small little fruit, that looks like a nut – and indeed is one, but not as we know and eat nuts! Dried nutmegs are grayish brown ovals with furrowed surfaces. The nutmegs are roughly egg-shaped, about 20 – 30 mm long and 15 – 18 mm wide, weighing 5–10 g (0.18–0.35 oz) dried.
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)
The true nutmeg originated in the Moluccas (Spice Islands) of Indonesia. Nutmegs are grown as seeds on the fragrant nutmeg tree. The seeds are ground to a powder that has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet taste. We use to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables and beverages, such as tea, milk, cocoa, and coffee.
It takes up to seven to nine years after planting before the first harvest can be done, but the trees reach full production only after twenty years. – What a long and patient wait for us humans!
On the above photo you see the immature seed inside the fruit. It is white and soft, whereas the mature seed (below) is dark and dried out inside the shell. These fruits are picked and dried gradually in the sun over a period of six to eight weeks. During this time the nutmeg shrinks away from is hard seed coat until the kernels rattle in their shells when shaken. The shell is then broken with a wooden club and the nutmegs are picked out.
Interestingly, the flesh of the shell—shown right in the right hand—is also used for flavoring our meals, like soups and sauces, giving it a sharp taste. Sliced nutmeg fruit flesh is made into manisan (sweets), which is seasoned in sugary syrup liquid, or dry coated with sugar, a dessert called manisan pala in Indonesia (see below ) .
I am sure, that almost all of you know this nut, when added as a dark ground powder on cauliflower, other Cole or potato dishes, and processed meat products in traditional European cuisine. It is also commonly used in rice pudding. Nutmeg is a traditional ingredient in mulled cider, mulled wine, and eggnog. In Italian cooking, nutmeg is used as part of the stuffing for many regional meat-filled dumplings like tortellini, as well as for traditional meatloaf. Nutmeg is a common spice for pumpkin pie and in recipes for other winter squashes, such as baked acorn squash.
About the history
The earliest known usage of nutmeg is on the island of Pulau Ai around 3,500 years ago based on residue found on ceramic potshards. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the group of islands off of the Banda Islands (another name for the “Spice Islands”) was the only location for the production of nutmeg in the world. The Portuguese, who landed first at these islands, discovered the spice, when guided via Java from Europe. During their one month stay, they bought and filled their ships with nutmeg and other tropical fruits from Banda Islands. This was the way the nut was first introduced to Europe.
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