Nutmeg & mace

Along with cloves and pepper, nutmeg was the cause of centuries of global trade and conquest. The Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia are the original home of the fragrant brown seed and three-quarters of the world’s supply are grown in Indonesia to this day. Surrounding the seed is a lacy web of red mace, then a tart and spiced yellow fruit, which is prized as much as, or perhaps more than, the seed in the islands where they grow (the mace on the other hand is not much used locally). Use nutmeg to add warmth and scent to curries, meats and cakes. The seed can either be finely grated or cracked and added in large pieces to infuse the cooking liquid in a similar way to a cinnamon stick.