La Nutmeg and Mace flower they are two different spices. But they are so closely related, since the second literally embraces the first. To explain this, we will start at the beginning.
The first news about these two spices go back to the writings of Pliny, in the first century of our era. Although these spices really become important it is in the XVI century with the rise of the spice trade. They were brought from Asia by Portuguese and Dutch sailors.
Nutmeg and Mace Flower
La nutmeg It is the seed of a tropical evergreen tree, of great leafiness, that can reach up to 18 meters in height. The tree is native to the Moluccas Islands, although today it is also cultivated elsewhere. For example in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia and the West Indies.
The largest producers are concentrated in Indonesia and Grenada island. The tree of the nutmeg It only grows in hot, humid tropical climates. They are regions near the sea with abundant rainfall. It grows slowly and does not produce the first fruits until seven or eight years. They form as small yellow flowers clear and pleasant aroma. These give way to fruit six to nine months later.
The fruit is large and fleshy, yellow in color, resembling a apricot or peach. When the fruit is ripe, it opens showing the seed. This is the nutmeg. It is completely wrapped in a bright red fleshy aril or mesocarp. This is the mace flower.
The ripe fruits are collected and left to dry and then carefully separated mace from the seed. The mace flower dries in the sun for two to four hours. During this drying it becomes brittle and cornea. It turns from bright red to yellowish brown.
Follow the process and use the nutmeg in your dishes
The seeds devoid of the mace are dried in trays for about four to six weeks, to then remove the outer shell, appearing the nutmeg as we know it. Oval in shape, it is grayish brown and wrinkled on the outside, while the inside is hard of a brighter color.
This nut has a rich, warm and fragrant aroma, with an intense, sweet and aromatic flavor. The scent of mace flower it is finer, more intense and warmer, with a strongly aromatic spicy flavor. The aroma and flavor of the flower is stronger and more refined than that of the nutmeg.
The main chemical component of these two spices is the myristicin (pyrogallic acid ethyl ether). In addition, in its composition there are various terpenes such as eugenol, isoeugenol, geraniol, safrole, borneol.
Despite the myriad of excellent culinary uses for these two spices, they should always be dosed in moderation. Nutmeg should never be eaten whole, you always have to grate a little or use it ground. It must be taken into account that at high doses it can be toxic with narcotic effects. Carefully use the Nutmeg and Mace flower.
