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Seasoning as Comfort Food

I am often asked which spice is my favorite. This question is rather like asking which is your favorite child. However, this time of year the question is easy to answer. It's nutmeg, of course. Nutmeg reminds me of my favorite childhood foods; cookies, baked custard, eggnog, and pumpkin pie. Many winter dishes and holiday treats are enhanced with nutmeg. It is highly aromatic and, for me, bespeaks Christmas.

The flavor of nutmeg (from the old French nois muscade or "musky nut') is bitter, warm, spicy sweet, pungent, and slightly camphpraceous. It is highly aromatic. It's fragrant musky aroma hints at cinnamon and vanilla. Nutmeg in the US is usually associated with Sweet desserts, but many years ago I was introduced to the magic of a pinch of nutmeg in spinach. Not long afterward, nutmeg with sweet potatoes, squash and pumpkin seemed natural. When nutmeg is used with onion it enhances the sweetness of the onion and sweetens the aroma. In fact, many vegetables benefit from a pinch of nutmeg, especially when the dish includes a cream sauce or an eggy mixture like a quiche. This is not entirely a coincidence since it is also an aid to digestion.

Nutmeg is equally important in meat and savory dishes. One finds nutmeg in many sausages, and pat6s. It is the essential ingredient of Swedish meatballs. Italians use nutmeg with veal and in both fillings and sauces for pasta. Arabs have long added nutmeg to lamb. Nutmeg is the standard seasoning in many Dutch dishes. In old cookbooks it is used more often than any other spice.

Nutmeg is my secret ingredient in oyster pie and oyster stew. I use it as a background flavor not really to be tasted. Nutmeg cuts the medicinal flavor of oysters and enhances their salty sweetness. Jim Fobel writes that in most cases he likes to use nutmeg sparingly to enhance a dish, but even so more than just a little grating is needed to lend a bold rather than a bland flavor and to catch up with other flavors.

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is unique among spice plants as it produces two distinct spices: nutmeg and mace, with two distinct flavors. The nutmeg is the small brown seed at the heart of the fruit. Mace is the lacy growth, known as the aril which surrounds the seed. Nutmegs grow on a spreading evergreen tree which can grow 60 feet tall. It has oval green leaves and small yellow flowers. This tree is native to Molucca Islands, part of Indonesia. These trees thrive in rich volcanic soil on sheltered plantations near the sea. The trees bloom year round and produce an apricot like fruit which is eaten by the natives. The fruit splits open to reveal the red mace blades which are removed and dried. The nut is then dried in the sun for four to six weeks. They are cracked open and the nutmegs removed, then graded according to size.

Like most spices, nutmeg is best kept whole and ground as needed. There are several types of nutmeg graters. A small metal grater with a space to store the nutmeg is cheap and easily found in gourmet stores and catalogs. One whole nutmeg yields two to three teaspoons ground. If you have never experienced the flavor of freshly grated nutmeg you will be amazed at the intensity.

When buying nutmeg look for whole hard nuts, free from worm holes. If your requirements preclude hand grinding, be sure you buy from a spice house which grinds often and buy only as much as you need. Ask your supplier for the origin of the product. Nutmegs from Indonesia have a higher oil content so are superior to those from the West Indies. Remember, fat delivers flavor.

Copyright (c) 2000, by:
Ann D. Wilder, President
VANN Spices, Ltd.

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