what is nutmeg used in

Clinical Overview

Full Answer

What are the most common uses of nutmeg?

The most popular culinary uses of nutmeg include:

• baked goods such as puddings and pies
• savory dishes and sauces
• classic drinks like eggnog

What is nutmeg and how do you use it?

Nutmeg is one of those unicorn spices that you can use in all kinds of savory and sweet dishes. It can be sprinkled on top of eggnog, spiked in mac and cheese, freshly grated into a pumpkin pie ...

What can be used as a substitute for nutmeg?

Top Best 8 Nutmeg Replacements With Specific Ratios

1. Mace. Mace should be the best choice to replace nutmeg because mace is the cover of the nutmeg seed. ...
2. Garam Masala. If you have been to India or are a big fan of Indian cuisine, you would have known about this spice.
3. Allspice. ...
4. Cinnamon. ...
5. Apple Pie Spice. ...
6. Pumpkin Pie Spice. ...
7. Cloves. ...
8. Ginger. ...

How does nutmeg Effect Your Body?

Nutmeg Benefits And Side Effects You Ought To Discover Now

1. Nutmeg Improves Digestion. One of the oldest uses of the nutmeg spice is to improve digestion. ...
2. It Treats Anxiety And Insomnia. These two nutmeg benefits arise from its stress-busting properties. ...
3. It Improves Oral Health. There are nutmeg uses for oral health too. ...
4. Nutmeg Relieves Pain. Down with an injury? ...
5. It Lowers Blood Pressure. ...
6. Nutmeg Cleanses The Body.

What is nutmeg used for in cooking?

Cooking With Nutmeg Slightly sweeter than mace, nutmeg is essential to bechamel sauce and also goes well with baked or stewed fruit, custards, eggnog, punches, curries, sauces (particularly onion-based and milk sauces), pasta, and vegetables (especially spinach).

What is the taste of nutmeg?

What Does Nutmeg Taste Like? Nutmeg is a warm spice with slightly nutty, sweet, woody flavors. It's quite aromatic and can is generally best used in small amounts—usually no more than one teaspoon. If you use too much nutmeg, the dish, drink, or baked good may taste soapy or bitter.

What all is nutmeg good for?

Nutmeg is a spice that comes from the nutmeg tree, called the Myristica fragrans. The round, nut-looking thing you're used to seeing when you buy whole nutmeg is actually the seed from the tree's fruit. After it has been dried for six to eight weeks, it is ground into a powder or sold whole.

What does nutmeg do to a sauce?

Seasoning sauces Nutmeg contributes a deep, nutty, and somewhat sweet flavor to anything it is added to. As such, it is fantastic in sauces, both savory and sweet! Some of the most common it enhances are cream sauces and include béarnaise and the base for stroganoff, but don't stop there!

Is nutmeg good for you in coffee?

A little nutmeg added to your coffee is a health benefit. Nutmeg is used to treat many health conditions. It's anti-inflammatory properties help to relieve pain. Nutmeg has been used to treat digestive disorders from time immemorial.

Does nutmeg affect blood pressure?

Nutmeg is packed with antioxidants and has a slew of anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to help reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.

Does nutmeg help you sleep?

Helps Treat Insomnia Nutmeg has a calming effect when consumed in smaller doses. Various ancient medicinal practices credit it for its sleep inducing and de-stressing effects. According to Ayurveda, you should add a pinch of nutmeg to a glass of warm milk and have it before sleeping.

Is nutmeg good for weight loss?

Nutmeg is an excellent source of fibre, which is a good source to lose weight. However, it is also high saturated fats, which can be harmful; therefore, using nutmeg in large quantities is not advised." Nutmeg is high in fibre content, which can help you feel fuller when you are cutting on calories.

Does nutmeg taste like cinnamon?

Nutmeg is a top substitute for cinnamon because of its pleasing taste and versatility. It has a warming, slightly nutty flavor and is sometimes combined with cinnamon in recipes, like in pumpkin pie.

What is similar to nutmeg?

8 Great Substitutes for NutmegMace. Mace is the best option if you're looking for a replacement for nutmeg, as both spices come from the Myristica fragrans tree. ... Garam masala. ... Allspice. ... Cinnamon. ... Pumpkin pie spice. ... Apple pie spice. ... Ginger. ... Cloves.

Does nutmeg have a peppery taste?

Ground nutmeg has a reddish-brown color and powdery texture, similar to cumin. Nutmeg has a peppery, sweet, and slightly cinnamon-y aroma and flavor. Ground nutmeg loses it's flavor quickly, so if you can get whole nutmeg and grate it fresh as needed, you won't go back.

What does nutmeg smell like?

Nutmeg essential oil, like it's kitchen spice counterpart, has a beautifully spicy, fragrant scent. It's rich, woody, spicy, sweet, and very similar to the spice it's derived from. Because it is a potent derivative of the spice, the essential oil tends to be richer and more fragrant.

What is nutmeg used for?

Nutmeg, a pungent and a warm, slightly sweet tasting spice, is used to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sa...

What's the difference between nutmeg and mace?

When nutmeg is fully mature, it splits in two, exposing a crimson-colored aril, the mace, surrounding a single shiny brown seed. The fleshy arils s...

How long does it take to harvest nutmeg?

Nutmeg trees take eight years after sowing to yield fruit. They reach their prime in 25 years and bear fruit for 60 years or longer.

Does nutmeg have health benefits?

An ointment of nutmeg butter has been used as a counterirritant and in the treatment of rheumatism.

Cooking, Storage, and Recipes

Professional blogger and cookbook author Bethany Moncel has become an expert on making delicious, healthy meals on a budget. She also holds a nutritional science degree.

What Is Nutmeg?

To make nutmeg for seasoning, the nutmeg seeds are dried gradually in the sun over a period of six to eight weeks. During this time, the nutmeg shrinks away from its hard seed coat. The spice is ready when the kernels rattle in their shells when shaken. It is separated from the outer coat (the mace) and sold whole or ground up and packaged.

Nutmeg vs. Mace

Although both spices come from the same tree, nutmeg and mace do differ from each other. The mace, which is the outer coating of the nutmeg seed, is removed first and ground into a red-colored spice, while the nutmeg pit or seed can either be kept whole or ground up.

Whole vs. Ground

Nutmeg can be purchased as the whole seed or ground in a container. Grating the seed directly into a recipe will impart a fresher, cleaner taste than using store-bought ground nutmeg. Whole nutmeg is approximately the size of an apricot pit and will last a very long time while pre-ground nutmeg has a shorter shelf life.

What Does It Taste Like?

Nutty and slightly sweet, nutmeg is an intense spice that has a strong and distinct aroma. For those who are more sensitive to heat, nutmeg might seem almost spicy.

Cooking With Nutmeg

Nutmeg has a long culinary history and can be part of both sweet and savory dishes. It can be used whole and grated directly into a recipe or measured or shaken from a canister of pre-ground nutmeg. To use whole nutmeg, you will need a microplane or nutmeg grater to shave off a small portion of the seed.

Recipes With Nutmeg

In the United States, one of the most common uses for nutmeg is in desserts, especially apple or pumpkin pie. Nutmeg is particularly well suited for creamy or cheesy dishes and is often added to alfredo or bechamel sauce to create depth.

What Is Nutmeg?

The nutmeg originates from the Banda Islands in the Moluccas in Indonesia near New Guinea.

Is Nutmeg Poisonous?

Nutmeg is safe in small quantities. But in larger doses, nutmeg is toxic.

Is Nutmeg Healthy?

Nutmeg contains an impressive array of powerful compounds that may help prevent disease and promote your overall health.

Can Nutmeg Go Bad?

Whole nutmeg can stay fresh almost forever, but should always be stored away from heat and moisture.

Can Nutmeg Help You Sleep?

Sleep is crucial for our health. Nutmeg contains tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that increases the number of neurotransmitters.

Nutmeg As Essential Oil

The essential nutmeg oil is a warming and spicy oil extracted from the fruit and seeds by steam distillation.

Nutmeg In Food

Nutmeg works wonders in mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, béchamel sauce, lasagne, spinach, cheese, and egg dishes.

Clinical Overview

Nutmeg and mace, widely accepted as flavoring agents, have been used in higher doses for their aphrodisiac and psychoactive properties.

Botany

Mace and nutmeg are 2 slightly different flavored spices, both originating from the fruit of the nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans. This slow-growing evergreen grows to more than 20 m and is cultivated in India, Ceylon, Malaysia, and Granada. The fruit, which is called a drupe or a nutmeg apple, is similar in appearance to a peach or an apricot.

History

Nutmeg is a widely used food spice that has received attention as an alternative hallucinogen. Nutmeg and mace have been used in Indian cooking and folk medicine. In folk medicine, nutmeg has been used to treat gastric disorders and rheumatism, and also as a hypnotic and an aphrodisiac.

Chemistry

Nutmeg seeds contain 20% to 40% of a fixed oil commonly called nutmeg butter. This oil contains myristic acid, trymiristin, and glycerides of lauric, tridecanoic, stearic, and palmitic acids. 5, 6 Nutmeg also yields 8% to 15% of an essential oil that is believed to be partially responsible for the effects associated with nutmeg intoxication.

Uses and Pharmacology

There are no relevant clinical trials reported in the literature for nutmeg or mace.

Interactions

Because of anxiogenic properties, a theoretical interaction may occur with nutmeg/mace and anxiolytics. 2, 4 Interactions with nutmeg and diazepam, ondansetron, or buspirone occurred in rats. 30 One death has been associated with concurrent ingestion of large amounts of nutmeg and flunitrazepam.

Adverse Reactions

Allergy, contact dermatitis, and asthma have been reported. The chemical constituents limonene and eugenol are contact allergens. Immunoglobulin E reactivity has been demonstrated in nutmeg and mace. 73, 74

What is nutmeg?

Nutmeg is the seed of the nutmeg tree, and it’s essentially the pit of the apricot-like nutmeg fruit (which is also edible and often pickled or turned into jam). The nutmeg seed is encased in mace, another spice that is commonly used in North African cuisines.

How to use nutmeg

Nutmeg is well-known for its use in desserts and pairs beautifully with fall fruits and veggies like apples, butternut squash and pumpkin. But it’s also great for adding dimension and cutting the richness of creamy dishes, like the béchamel sauce of a mac and cheese or potatoes au gratin.

Brûléed Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

"The highest nutmeg consumption per capita is Germany, because nutmeg goes into so many cured meat dishes and sausages," explained Ethan Frisch, spice expert and co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, a sustainable spice shop.

Orecchiette Bolognese

Frisch also suggests adding nutmeg in place of black pepper in savory dishes, like chili, for example. Just note that the flavor is pretty intense, so a little bit goes a long way.

Civil Rights Spiced Sweet Potato Pie

For the best flavor, look for nutmeg produced in Grenada, Malaysia or Indonesia, Frisch advised. As with most spices, nutmeg will start losing flavor once it’s ground, so opt for whole nutmeg which, bonus, keeps well for a really long time (we’re talking years).

Health Benefits

Nutmeg is a rich source of antioxidants, which help protect against the signs of aging and serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and liver disease.

Nutrition

Nutmeg is rich in fiber, which helps keep the digestive system healthy and prevent blood sugar from spiking.

How to Use Nutmeg

Whole nutmeg can be freshly ground and added to dishes with a microplane or grater, but the spice is also available already ground.

Common nutmeg

Nutmeg is the spice made by grinding the seed of the fragrant nutmeg ( Myristica fragrans) tree into powder. The spice has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavor many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog.

Mace

Mace is the spice made from the reddish seed covering ( aril) of the nutmeg seed. Its flavour is similar to nutmeg but more delicate; it is used to flavour baked goods, meat, fish, vegetables and in preserving and pickling.

Botany and cultivation

The most important commercial species is the common, true or fragrant nutmeg, Myristica fragrans ( Myristicaceae ), native to the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia.

Culinary uses

Nutmeg and mace have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron -like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is used for flavouring many dishes.

Essential oil

The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of ground nutmeg is used in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The volatile fraction contains dozens of terpenes and phenylpropanoids, including D - pinene, limonene, D - borneol, L - terpineol, geraniol, safrol, and myristicin.

Nutmeg butter

Nutmeg butter is obtained from the nut by expression. It is semisolid, reddish-brown in colour, and has the taste and smell of nutmeg itself.

History

The earliest evidence of nutmeg usage comes in the form of 3,500 year old potsherd residues from the island of Pulau Ai, one of the Banda Islands in eastern Indonesia. The Banda Islands consist of eleven small volcanic islands, and are part of the larger Maluku Islands group.

1. Contains powerful antioxidants

Though small in size, the seeds from which nutmeg is derived are rich in plant compounds that act as antioxidants in your body ( 1 ).

2. Has anti-inflammatory properties

Chronic inflammation is linked to many adverse health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis ( 9 ).

3. May boost libido

Some animal studies show that nutmeg may enhance sex drive and performance.

4. Has antibacterial properties

Nutmeg has been shown to have antibacterial effects against potentially harmful strains of bacteria.

5–7. May benefit various health conditions

Although research is limited, studies suggest that nutmeg may have the following effects:

8. Is versatile and delicious

This popular spice has a variety of uses in the kitchen. You can use it alone or pair it with other spices, such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.

Precautions

Though nutmeg is unlikely to cause harm when consumed in small quantities, taking it in high doses may cause adverse side effects.

Clinical Overview

Botany

History

• Nutmeg is a widely used food spice that has received attention as an alternative hallucinogen. Nutmeg and mace have been used in Indian cooking and folk medicine. In folk medicine, nutmeg has been used to treat gastric disorders and rheumatism, and also as a hypnotic and an aphrodisiac. During the 6th century AD, nutmeg and mace were imported by Ar...

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Chemistry

Dosing

Pregnancy / Lactation

Interactions

Adverse Reactions

Toxicology

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