What is Nugmeg?
Nutmeg is one of the leading spices, greatly in demand all over the world. It is actually the dried, powdered kernels of the nut of a tree that belongs to a genus distributed from India and South East Asia to North Australia and the Pacific islands. About five species are found in India, which includes Myristica fragrans, the source of the nut that yield two valuable spices nutmeg and mace.
The tree grows to a height up to about eight meters, and bears branches that grow parallel to the ground. The flowers are small and yellowish in colour, and fruits the size of a lemon. When ripe it has a golden yellowish tint, the outside fleshy portion opens in halves. With the halves split it discloses the seed inside with a shell like testa covered by a scarlet fibrous aril. The dried kernels form the reputed nutmeg of commerce. Mace is the dried aril.
The tree grows well in several parts of India including Kerala, some parts of Tamilnadu, Assam etc. There is a wild variety Myristica malabarika, or false nutmeg tree which grows in certain parts of Western ghats. It is of very poor quality and is popularly called Bombay nutmeg and Bombay mace, which are used mainly as adulterants of the costly nutmeg and mace.
The article on Nutmeg was informative, Thanks for sharing Kerala spices online
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