The Forgotten Spice

Mace is the forgotten spice. I like it and prefer its gentle scented aroma to that of its big brother, the nutmeg. Nutmeg’s bruising power can be a bully: whenever a new chef makes a gratin Dauphinois for me, I have to monitor closely their use of the nutmeg grater. The only time I can sanction its use with any generosity is when it is grated over a custard tart.

Mace is little more than a by-product of the nutmeg business, which used to be a very big business indeed. Merchant adventurers made fortunes out of the discovery and exploitation of the nutmeg trees of Indonesia. Dutch wealth and naval supremacy were largely based on the spice trade, and nutmeg was the single most valuable component of the trade.