What are the most common uses of nutmeg?
- Promote digestion
- Treat insomnia
- Relieve pain
- Promote oral health
- Regulate blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol
What are the benefits of using nutmeg?
Health Benefits Of Nutmeg
- Immune System Booster. In modern times the amount of stress we put ourselves through seems to increase by the day. ...
- Kidney Infection Treatment. Kidney infections are just one of the many infections that our bodies can be affected by. ...
- Anticonvulsant Properties. ...
- Natural Anti-Diarrhea Medicine. ...
How does nutmeg affect the brain?
The most common symptoms in the 10-year review included:
- hallucinations
- drowsiness
- dizziness
- dry mouth
- confusion
- seizure (in two cases)
What does a nutmeg taste like?
What Does Nutmeg Taste Like? A popular spice available in both ground and whole form, nutmeg is known for its warm, nutty flavor, making it the perfect addition to comforting sweet and savory dishes. Once ground, nutmeg spice takes on a warm and aromatic flavor with notes of clove.
What is nutmeg made up of?
Nutmeg is derived from the seed of Myristica fragrans, and the spice, mace, is derived from the seed coat.
What part of nutmeg are we eating?
When fully mature it splits in two, exposing a crimson-coloured aril, the mace, surrounding a single shiny brown seed, the nutmeg. The pulp of the fruit is eaten locally.
Why nutmeg is poisonous?
Nutmeg is a commonly consumed spice. The toxic effects of nutmeg have been purported to be due mainly to myristicin oil. Prior poison center series of nutmeg exposures show very few unintentional exposures of nutmeg to children younger than 13.
What is so special about nutmeg?
Nutmeg is a rich source of antioxidants, which help protect against the signs of aging and serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and liver disease. Nutmeg oil is used in several dental products.
How do you fall asleep with nutmeg?
Helps Treat Insomnia Various ancient medicinal practices credit it for its sleep inducing and de-stressing effects. According to Ayurveda, you should add a pinch of nutmeg to a glass of warm milk and have it before sleeping. You can also add in some almonds and a pinch of cardamom for added benefits.
Is nutmeg cancerous?
Ingestion of small amounts of nutmeg is harmless to the body, including the amounts called for in all standard recipes.
Can we eat 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.
Common nutmeg
Nutmeg is the spice made by grinding the seed of the fragrant nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans) tree into powder. The spice has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog.
Mace
Mace is the spice made from the reddish seed covering ( aril) of the nutmeg seed. Its flavour is similar to nutmeg but more delicate; it is used to flavour baked goods, meat, fish, vegetables and in preserving and pickling.
Botany and cultivation
The most important commercial species is the common, true or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans ( Myristicaceae ), native to the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia.
Culinary uses
Nutmeg and mace have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron -like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes.
Essential oil
The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of ground nutmeg is used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The volatile fraction contains dozens of terpenes and phenylpropanoids, including D - pinene, limonene, D - borneol, L - terpineol, geraniol, safrol, and myristicin.
Nutmeg butter
Nutmeg butter is obtained from the nut by expression. It is semisolid, reddish-brown in colour, and has the taste and smell of nutmeg itself.
History
The earliest evidence of nutmeg usage comes in the form of 3,500 year old potsherd residues from the island of Pulau Ai, one of the Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia. The Banda Islands consist of eleven small volcanic islands, and are part of the larger Maluku Islands group.
What Is Nutmeg?
Nutmeg is actually the seed of a tropical fruit thought to have originated in New Guinea (the same fruit that gives us mace, actually). The seeds are light brown on the outside, oblong-shaped, and about an inch long. Inside, there are densely packed layers of starchy tissue and fragrant oil.
How To Use Nutmeg
In sweet dishes, nutmeg works very well with dairy-based dishes and is often used in custards and dessert sauces. You’ll also find it used in combination with other warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves in holiday cookies and cakes.
Nutritional benefits
Beyond the fact that it’s yummy, recent studies have found that nutmeg helps protect your liver [ source ]. Other studies claim it can improve digestion and insomnia, act as a pain reliever, and it may help with depression. However, more research is required.
How does nutmeg taste
While nutmeg is considered a sweet seasoning, it’s not your typical sugary sweet. It’s more of an earthy, nutty sweetness. That’s what makes it so versatile, and it’s why it can be added to savory dishes as well as sweet ones. Just know that a little goes a long way with the unique spice.
Whole versus ground nutmeg
Preground nutmeg is the most convenient option, but it does lose potency quicker than buying whole nutmegs, which you can usually find in the spice aisle as well. Just grind them from home as your recipes call for it. This method will deliver more flavor and freshness.
Cooking with nutmeg
The first rule of cooking with nutmeg is that a little does a lot; you don’t need much. It complements meat well and goes great with root vegetables and winter squash. You can use it when making hearty soups or stews. And nutmeg is just as great for baking as it is for cooking.
How to purchase and store nutmeg
As mentioned, for more flavor and longevity, try to purchase whole nutmegs instead of the preground powder. They’ll keep for several years with maximum flavor so long as they’re stored properly. Keep them in a cool, dry area away from sunlight and inside an airtight container.
Cautions
When it comes to nutmeg, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Two or more tablespoons can trigger nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, and even affect brain function (though the amount can vary based on your size). It’s been known to produce a “high” because of the compound myristicin, resulting in similar side effects as narcotics [ source ].
What is nutmeg?
Nutmeg refers to the seed of an evergreen tree native to Indonesia, India, and Malaysia.
What does nutmeg taste like?
The nutmeg spice features this intense, warm flavor with varying profiles of sweetness and nuttiness. Nutmeg has a musky aroma of pepper, pine and a hint of cinnamon too.
Where does nutmeg come from?
The nutmeg spice originated from the Banda Islands of Indonesia, known locally as the Spice Islands. The spice gets harvested from the dried fruit (the inner seed I was telling you about earlier), which is then produced by the nutmeg tree or myristica fragrans, its scientific name.
What is nutmeg used in cooking?
Generally, using nutmeg spice adds depth in sweet AND savory dishes when lightly ground fresh.
Is nutmeg a nut?
Now, onto that question earlier. Is nutmeg a nut? No. Despite the term using “nut” in it, nutmeg isn’t a nut. It’s not even related to peanuts. Nutmeg is essentially a dried seed.
How to store nutmeg
When it comes to storage, you have to know first whether you’re keeping ground nutmeg or whole nutmeg seeds.
The bottom line
Nutmeg is very fragrant and a little goes a long way, especially if you are grinding it fresh with a nut/seed grinder like this simple grater or this spice mill .
Overview
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus Myristica. 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. It is also a commercial source of an essential oil and nutmeg butter. The California nutmeg, Torreya californica, has a seed of si…
Common nutmeg
Nutmeg is the spice made by grinding the seed of the fragrant nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) into powder. The spice has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog.
The seeds are dried gradually in the sun over a period of six to eight weeks. During this time the …
Mace
Mace is the spice made from the reddish seed covering (aril) of the nutmeg seed. Its flavour is similar to nutmeg but more delicate; it is used to flavour baked goods, meat, fish, and vegetables, and in preserving and pickling.
In the processing of mace, the crimson-colored aril is removed from the nutmeg seed that it envelops and is flattened out and dried for 10 to 14 days. Its color …
Botany and cultivation
The most important commercial species is the common, true or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae), native to the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia. It is also cultivated on Penang Island in Malaysia, in the Caribbean, especially in Grenada, and in Kerala, a state formerly known as Malabar in ancient writings as the hub of spice trading, in southern India. In th…
Culinary uses
Nutmeg and mace have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes. Whole nutmeg can also be ground at home using a grater specifically designed for nutmeg or a multi-purpose grating tool.
Essential oil
The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of ground nutmeg is used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The volatile fraction contains dozens of terpenes and phenylpropanoids, including D-pinene, limonene, D-borneol, L-terpineol, geraniol, safrol, and myristicin. In its pure form, myristicin is a toxin, and consumption of excessive amounts of nutmeg can result in myristicin poisoning.
Nutmeg butter
Nutmeg butter is obtained from the nut by expression. It is semisolid, reddish-brown in colour, and has the taste and smell of nutmeg itself. About 75% (by weight) of nutmeg butter is trimyristin, which can be turned into myristic acid, a 14-carbon fatty acid, which can be used as a replacement for cocoa butter, can be mixed with other fats like cottonseed oil or palm oil, and has applications as an industrial lubricant.
History
The earliest evidence of use of nutmeg comes in the form of 3,500 year old potsherd residues from the island of Pulau Ai, one of the Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia. The Banda Islands consist of eleven small volcanic islands, and are part of the larger Maluku Islands group. These islands were the only source of nutmeg and mace production until the mid-19th century.