Ingredients
Harvest
- 100ripe nutmeg fruits, picked when the yellow husk has split open on the tree
- A gwo-bwa pole with a basket hook, for reaching the high branches
Processing
- Woven drying trays or a slatted rack in a shaded, airy loft
- A wooden mallet or a hand cracker
- A tub of clean water, for grading
To use
- 1whole nutmeg and a fine rasp or a nutmeg grater
- 200 mldark rum, 200 ml water and 200 g sugar, for the classic nutmeg-dusted rum punch
Directions
- Pick the fruit only once it has split on the branch, showing the scarlet lace of mace wrapped around a glossy brown shell.
- Peel away the thick fleshy husk by hand and keep it: on Grenada the pericarp is candied into nutmeg jam, jelly and syrup and nothing is wasted.
- Peel the mace off the shell in one piece, flatten it and dry it separately in the shade for 2–3 weeks, until it turns from crimson to a brittle amber.
- Spread the shelled nuts one layer deep on trays in a shaded, well-ventilated loft, and turn them by hand every few days. Dry for 6–8 weeks at ambient temperature.
- Crack the shells with a light mallet blow or a hand cracker, taking care not to bruise the kernel, and discard the shells.
Technique
- One tree gives two spices: nutmeg is the kernel, mace is the crimson aril that wraps it, and they taste noticeably different, mace being lighter and more floral.
- Nutmeg contains myristicin and is genuinely toxic in quantity. Two or more whole nuts eaten at once can cause hallucinations, nausea and racing heart; a grating or two in a dish is entirely safe.
- Grenada is the second-largest producer in the world after Indonesia and puts the nutmeg on its national flag. Hurricane Ivan destroyed most of the trees in 2004 and the industry is still recovering.
- Always grate from the round end towards the pointed end and stop before the shell fragments; a whole nutmeg keeps its oil for years, ground nutmeg for months at best.
Substitutions
- No whole nutmeg: use ground, at about half the volume, and buy it in the smallest jar you can, since it fades fast.
- Mace can stand in for nutmeg at roughly the same quantity in savoury dishes, giving a lighter, more perfumed result.
Variations
- Nutmeg syrup and nutmeg jam, made from the candied outer husk.
- Mace, dried separately and used in Grenadian stews and oil down.
- Nutmeg grated over rum punch, ice cream, callaloo soup and cocoa tea.
History
Introduced to Grenada in 1843; the island became a leading world supplier, put nutmeg on its flag, and lost most trees to Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nutmeg?
Nutmeg is a sauce & condiment from Grenada: fragrant seed grated over drinks, stews and ice cream across the island. Introduced to Grenada in 1843; the island became a leading world supplier, put nutmeg on its flag, and lost most trees to Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
How long does Nutmeg take to make?
Nutmeg takes 2 hr over the harvest of preparation and 6–8 weeks drying of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 g dried nutmegs, plus 60 g mace. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Nutmeg?
Yes, within limits. No whole nutmeg: use ground, at about half the volume, and buy it in the smallest jar you can, since it fades fast. Mace can stand in for nutmeg at roughly the same quantity in savoury dishes, giving a lighter, more perfumed result.
