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Nutmeg is the , or the ground derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus ; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ( M. fragrans) is a dark-leaved tree cultivated for two derived from its : nutmeg, from its seed, and mace, from the seed covering. It is also a commercial source of nutmeg and nutmeg butter. Maluku's are the main producer of nutmeg and mace, and the true nutmeg tree is native to the islands.

(2025). 9781462905065, Tuttle Pub.

Nutmeg and mace, commonly used as food spices, have been traditionally employed for their and aphrodisiac effects, though clinical evidence is lacking. High doses can cause serious toxic effects including acute , with risks heightened during and with psychiatric conditions.

of the genus , commonly known as the nutmeg yews, have edible seeds of similar appearance, but are not closely related to M. fragrans, and are not used as a spice.


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, , potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, and vegetables, and beverages such as .

The seeds are dried gradually in the sun over a period of 15 to 30 weeks. During this time, the nutmeg shrinks away from its 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. Dried nutmegs are greenish brown ovoids with furrowed surfaces. The nutmegs are roughly egg-shaped, about long and wide, weighing dried.

Two other species of genus Myristica with different flavors, M. malabarica and M. argentea, are sometimes used to adulterate nutmeg as a spice.


Mace
Mace is the spice made from the reddish seed covering () of the nutmeg seed. Its flavour is similar to that of nutmeg but more delicate; it is used to flavour baked goods, meat, fish, and vegetables, and in preserving and pickling.
(2025). 9781439856864, CRC Press. .

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 changes to pale yellow, orange, or tan. Whole dry mace consists of flat pieces—smooth, horn-like, and brittle—about long.


Botany and cultivation
The most important commercial species is the common, true or fragrant nutmeg, M. fragrans (), native to the (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia. It is also cultivated on Island in Malaysia, in the , especially in , and in , a state formerly known as Malabar in ancient writings as the hub of spice trading, in southern India. In the 17th-century work Hortus Botanicus Malabaricus, Hendrik van Rheede records that learned the usage of nutmeg from the Indonesians through ancient trade routes.

Nutmeg trees are (individual plants are either male or female), which are propagated sexually from and asexually from cuttings or . Sexual propagation yields 50% male seedlings, which are unproductive. Because no reliable method has been found for determining plant sex before flowering in the sixth to eighth year, and sexual reproduction bears inconsistent yields, grafting is the preferred method of propagation. Epicotyl grafting (a variation of cleft grafting using seedlings), approach grafting, and patch budding have proved successful, with epicotyl grafting being the most widely adopted standard. is an alternative though not preferred method because of its low (35–40%) success rate.

The first harvest of nutmeg trees takes place 7–9 years after planting, and the trees reach full production after 20 years.

In the where the nutmeg is endemic (native), there is a symbiotic relationship between the Kenari nut tree ( ) and the nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans), the former providing the nutmeg with shade and serving as a wind-break from the strong winds.

(2025). 9781420069075, CRC Press.


Uses

Spice
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, -like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes. Whole nutmeg can also be ground at home using or a .

In Indonesian cuisine, nutmeg is used in dishes

(2025). 9780544177383, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. .
such as spicy soups including variants of soto, , , sup iga (ribs soup), , and . It is also used in gravy for meat dishes, such as semur, beef stew, ribs with tomato, and European derived dishes such as bistik (beef steak), rolade (minced meat roll), and bistik lidah (beef tongue steak).

In , nutmeg is used in many sweet, as well as savoury, dishes. In Kerala , grated nutmeg is used in meat preparations and also sparingly added to desserts for the flavour. It may also be used in small quantities in .

(2025). 9781845376192, New Holland Publishers.

In traditional , nutmeg and mace are used especially in and spinach dishes and in processed meat products; they are also used in soups, sauces, and baked goods. It is also commonly used in . In , nutmeg is added to vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and string beans. Nutmeg is a traditional ingredient in , , junket and . In Scotland, mace and nutmeg are usually both ingredients in . In , nutmeg is used as part of the stuffing for many regional meat-filled dumplings like , as well as for the traditional . Nutmeg is a common spice for and in recipes for other , such as baked . In the Caribbean, nutmeg is often used in drinks, such as the Bushwacker, Painkiller, and Barbados punch. Typically, it is a sprinkle on top of the drink.


Fruit
The (fruit covering) is used to make jam, or is finely sliced, cooked with sugar, and crystallised to make a fragrant candy. Sliced nutmeg fruit flesh is made as manisan (sweets), either wet, which is seasoned in sugary syrup liquid, or dry coated with sugar, a dessert called manisan pala in Indonesia. In , dried, shredded nutmeg rind with sugar coating is used as toppings on the uniquely Penang . The flesh of the nutmeg fruit is also blended, in the fresh state, into a type of (white in colour and having a fresh, ‘green’, tangy taste); or boiled, resulting in a brown liquid, much sweeter in taste, which is used in the preparation of iced drinks. In Kerala of India, it is used for juice, pickles and chutney.


Essential oil
The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of ground nutmeg is used in the and industries. The volatile fraction contains dozens of and , including -, , -, -, , , and . In its pure form, myristicin is a , and consumption of excessive amounts of nutmeg can result in myristicin poisoning.

The oil is colorless or light yellow, and smells and tastes of nutmeg. It is used as a natural food flavoring in , syrups, beverages, and sweets. It is used to replace ground nutmeg, as it leaves no particles in the food. The essential oil is also used in the manufacturing of and .

(2017). 9781784770624, Bradt Travel Guides. .


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 , which can be turned into , a 14-carbon , which can be used as a replacement for , can be mixed with other fats like or , and has applications as an industrial .


History
The earliest evidence of use of nutmeg comes in the form of 3,500-year-old residues from the island of Pulau Ai, one of the in eastern Indonesia. The Banda Islands consist of eleven small volcanic islands, and are part of the larger group. These islands were the only source of nutmeg and mace production until the mid-19th century. It was one of the spices traded over the Austronesian maritime network since at least 1500 BCE.

In the sixth century AD, nutmeg use spread to India, then further west to .

(2025). 9780415927468, Routledge.
By the 13th century, Arab traders had pinpointed the origin of nutmeg to the Banda Islands, but kept this location a secret from European traders.


Colonial era
The Banda Islands became the scene of the earliest European ventures in Asia, to get a grip on the spice trade. In August 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered , which at the time was the hub of Asian trade, on behalf of the king of . In November of the same year, after having secured Malacca and learning of Banda's location, Albuquerque sent an expedition of three ships led by his friend António de Abreu to find it. Malay pilots guided them via , the Lesser Sundas, and to the Banda Islands, arriving in early 1512. The first Europeans to reach the Banda Islands, the expedition remained for about a month, buying and filling their ships with Banda's nutmeg and mace, and with in which Banda had a thriving . An early account of Banda is in Suma Oriental, a book written by the Portuguese apothecary Tomé Pires, based in Malacca from 1512 to 1515. Full control of this trade by the Portuguese was not possible, and they remained participants without a foothold in the islands.

In order to obtain a on the production and trade of nutmeg, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) waged a bloody battle with the Bandanese in 1621. Historian Willard Hanna estimated that before this struggle the islands were populated by approximately 15,000 people, and only 1,000 were left (the Bandanese were killed, starved while fleeing, exiled, or sold as slaves). The Company constructed a comprehensive nutmeg plantation system on the islands during the 17th century.

As a result of the Dutch during the , the British invaded and temporarily took control of the Banda Islands from the Dutch and transplanted nutmeg trees, complete with soil, to , Penang, Bencoolen, and .Giles Milton, Nathaniel's Nutmeg, 1999, London: Hodder and Stoughton; From these locations they were transplanted to their other colonial holdings elsewhere, notably and Grenada. The national flag of Grenada, adopted in 1974, shows a stylised split-open nutmeg fruit. The Dutch retained control of the Spice Islands until World War II.

may have received its nickname ("the Nutmeg State", "") from the claim that some unscrupulous Connecticut traders would whittle "nutmeg" out of wood, creating a "wooden nutmeg", a term which later came to mean any type of fraud. This narrative may have to do with the issue that one has to to obtain the spice powder, not crack a nutmeg, and this may not have been widely known by some purchasers of the product.


Production
In 2023, world production of nutmeg was 219,223 , led by with 95,211 tonnes and and as secondary producers; combined, the three countries accounted for 89% of the world total.


Psychoactivity and toxicity
Although used as a folk treatment for some ailments, nutmeg has no proven medicinal value.


Effects
Ingested in small amounts as a spice, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response, but in large doses, both raw nutmeg freshly ground from kernels and have effects. Such effects appear to derive from -like mechanisms attributed to and . Myristicin—a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and psychoactive substance—can cause , , , eventual , and generalized body pain when consumed in large amounts. Nutmeg may interact with drugs, produce allergic reactions, cause contact dermatitis, and evoke acute episodes of .

Varying considerably from person to person, nutmeg intoxication may occur with , such as , anxiety, confusion, headaches, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, eye irritation, and . Intoxication takes several hours to reach maximum effect, and may last for several days. Incidents of fatal poisoning from nutmeg and myristicin individually are uncommon.

Nutmeg poisonings occur by accidental consumption in children and by intentional recreational use. It is used recreationally with the intention of achieving a low-cost high resembling psychedelics, particularly by adolescents, drug users, college students, and prisoners. Relatively large doses of nutmeg are required to produce effects; a majority of reported nutmeg intoxication cases appear to result from recreational use.

The of nutmeg and its constituents has been reviewed.

(1967). 9780890040478, Raven Press. .
(1967). 9780890040478, Raven Press.


Toxicity during pregnancy
Nutmeg was once considered an , but may be safe during if used only in flavoring amounts. If consumed in large amounts, nutmeg could cause premature labor and miscarriage. Nutmeg may also interact with pain relievers such as , so avoiding it during pregnancy is recommended.


Toxicity to pets
The scent of nutmeg may attract pets, but it can be if consumed in excess.


See also
  • Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia
  • Indian sandalwood


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