Nutmeg

Nutmeg is the kernel or pit of the fruit of the tropical evergreen nutmeg tree. The fruit has a red or yellow skin, is about 2 inches (5 cm) long, and resembles a cross between an apple and pear in shape. When mature, the outer flesh splits in two, exposing a red web of fibers that almost completely cover the small, hard pit. (When the red fibers are removed, dried, and ground, they become the spice mace.) Nutmeg is native to the Spice Islands (the Moluccas). When the islands were seized by the Dutch in 1621, the conquerors monopolized the sale of nutmeg, like so many other spices, and, for a long time, kept the trees from spreading by simply eradicating the spice from other islands. Eventually, the cultivation of nutmeg was spread by enterprising traders. Today nutmeg can be found on many tropical and subtropical islands, including those in the West Indies.