Listing description
Nutmeg (also known as pala in Indonesia) is one of the two spices – the other being mace – derived from several species of tree
in the genus Myristica.[1] The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans,
an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia.
Detailed description
Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about
20 to 30 mm (0.8 to 1.2 in) long and 15 to 18 mm (0.6 to
0.7 in) wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 g (0.2 and 0.4 oz)
dried, while mace is the dried "lacy" reddish covering or aril of the seed. The first harvest of nutmeg
trees takes place 7–9 years after planting, and the trees reach full production
after twenty years. Nutmeg is usually used in powdered form. This is the only
tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices, obtained from
different parts of the plant. Several other commercial products are also
produced from the trees, including essential
oils, extracted oleoresins, and
nutmeg butter.
Botany and cultivation
The common or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans,
is native to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas,
Indonesia. It is also cultivated onPenang Island in Malaysia, in the Caribbean,
especially in Grenada, and
in Kerala, a
state in southern India. Other species used to adulterate the spice include
Papuan nutmeg M. argentea from New
Guinea, and M. malabarica from India. In
the 17th-century workHortus
Botanicus Malabaricus, Hendrik van Rheede records that Indians learned the usage of nutmeg from the
Indonesians through ancient trade routes.
Nutmeg trees are dioecious plants which
are propagated sexually and asexually, the latter being the standard. Sexual
propagation by seedling yields 50% male seedlings, which are unproductive. As
there is no reliable method of determining plant sex before flowering in the
sixth to eighth year, and sexual propagation bears inconsistent yields,
grafting is the preferred method of propagation. Epicotylgrafting, approach grafting, and patch
budding have proved successful, with epicotyl grafting being the most widely
adopted standard. Air-layering, or marcotting, is an alternative though not preferred
method because of its low (35-40%) success rate.
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, usually in ground or
grated form, and is best grated fresh in a nutmeg
grater.
In Penang
cuisine, dried, shredded nutmeg rind with sugar coating is used as
toppings on the uniquely Penang ais kacang. Nutmeg rind is also blended (creating
a fresh, green, tangy taste and white colour juice) or boiled (resulting in a
much sweeter and brown juice) to make iced nutmeg juice.
In Indian
cuisine, nutmeg is used in many sweet, as well as savoury, dishes (predominantly in Mughlai cuisine). It is also added in small
quantities as a medicine for infants. It may also be used in small quantities
in garam masala. Ground nutmeg is also smoked in
India.[2]
In Indonesian cuisine, nutmeg is used in various
dishes,[3] mainly in many soups, such as soto soup,baso soup or sup kambing.
In original European
cuisine, nutmeg and mace are used especially in potato dishes and in processed meat products; they
are also used in soups, sauces, and baked goods. It is also commonly used in rice
pudding. In Dutch
cuisine, nutmeg is added to vegetables such as Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower, and string beans. Nutmeg is a traditional ingredient in mulled
cider, mulled
wine, and eggnog. In
Scotland, mace and nutmeg are usually both essential ingredients in haggis.
In Italian
cuisine, nutmeg is almost uniquely used as part of the stuffing for
many regional meat-filled dumplings like tortellini, as
well as for the traditional meatloaf.
In the Caribbean, nutmeg is
often used in drinks such as the Bushwacker, Painkiller, and Barbados rum punch. Typically, it is just a sprinkle on
the top of the drink.
The pericarp (fruit/pod)
is used in Grenada and also in Indonesia to make
jam, or is finely sliced, cooked with sugar, and crystallised to make a
fragrant candy.
In the US, nutmeg is known as
the main pumpkin
pie spice
and often shows up in simple recipes for other winter
squashes such as
baked acorn squash.
Essential oils
The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of
ground nutmeg is used widely in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. This volatile fraction
typically contains 60-80% d-camphene by weight, as well as quantities of d-pinene, limonene, d-borneol, l-terpineol, geraniol, safrol, and myristicin.[4] In its pure form, myristicin is a toxin,
and consumption of excessive amounts of nutmeg can result in myristicin
poisoning.[5] The oil is colourless or light yellow, and
smells and tastes of nutmeg. It contains numerous components of interest to the oleochemical industry,
and is used as a natural food flavouring in baked
goods, 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 cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, for instance, in toothpaste, and
as a major ingredient in some cough syrups. In
traditional medicine, nutmeg and nutmeg
oil were
used for disorders related to the nervous and digestive systems.
After extraction of the
essential oil, the remaining seed, containing much less flavour, is called
"spent". Spent is often mixed in industrial mills with pure nutmeg to
facilitate the milling process, as nutmeg is not easy to mill due to the high
percentage of oil in the pure seed. Ground nutmeg with a variable percentage of
spent (around 10% w/w) is also less likely to clot. To obtain a better running
powder, a small percentage of rice flour also can be added.[citation needed]
Nutmeg butter
Nutmeg butter is obtained from
the nut by expression. It is semisolid, reddish-brown in colour,
and tastes and smells of nutmeg. About 75% (by weight) of nutmeg butter istrimyristin,[citation needed] 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 likecottonseed
oil or palm oil, and
has applications as an industrial lubricant.
PRICE
$100.11/KG
For more information:
mobile: +2348039721941
contact person: emeaba uche
website: www.franchiseminerals.com
e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com
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