Mace

The yellow, peachlike fruit of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) contains an ovoid, glossy brown seed wrapped in a web of brilliant red that fades to a quiet orange. This web is mace, with a lighter, more floral character than nutmeg, the spice within the seed. Parsis use it in making spice mixtures and in flavoring sweets. I can still remember my aunt showing me a fresh nutmeg fruit when I was five and splitting it open to show me what was inside. Be sure to store mace out of the light and buy it in strands, not powders.