nutmeg, the versatile spice

Not much gets prepared in our kitchen without a bit of nutmeg being added. According to a flyer entitled  A Few Spice Recipes from Grenada, which we got when we bought spices there, "a pinch of grated nutmeg gives a delicious spicy flavour to egg nogs, milk drinks, rum punches, spiced hot wines, puddings and custards, salads, roasted lamb and sweet sauces". Very true. And also try adding it to quiches, apple pie, stewed peas, scalloped potatoes and just about any roasted meat. Whenever Lucas remarks that a meal seems to be "missing" something I reply "Add some nutmeg next time!"

But beyond the nut itself, so much can be done with this versatile fruit. The soft yellow flesh that surrounds the nut can be used to make jams, jellies, syrups and liquers. Ground nutmeg is distilled to produce essential oil, which is then used in massage oils, lotions and other toiletries. The mace, the red lacy part that covers the nut can be used just like nutmeg itself and is excellent with seafoods. At Christmas Lucas discovered that he can use mace to flavour plain white vinegar, which is then perfect to go with foie gras. We also made nutmeg icecream a few months ago. Now I never eat icecream during the winter, but I couldn't resist that!

Because we're such huge fans of nutmeg we were pleased when quite by accident we came upon the nutmeg processing plant in Grenville St. Andrew, and saw that they were giving tours. We were taken through the entire process, from the arrival of the nutmeg, their cleaning, separation and grading to storage and trasport. As enlightening as the tour was, it was also sad to learn that Hurricane Ivan, which struck Grenada in September 2004, destroyed close to 90% of the nutmeg trees. According to our guide, even though it takes six years for a tree to grow to maturity and produce a crop, it will take the island at least 20 years before it is back to its former level of production, which was around one third of the world's supply. We certainly hope that this will be sooner rather than later.

Comments

[Elspeth]

Yummm. Very true. Nutmeg really enhances anything. It's the magic ingredient.