Taste the World Spice Club: Nutmeg

Introducing the Taste the World Club, a collaboration between the Scarsdale Public Library and Apiary at the Library.  

Each month we will provide a small amount of a different spice or spice blend from a different part of the world.  

Cook with the spice and join us for a Zoom discussion of what we each made.  Participants will share tips, recipes and opinions of how their sampling the spices went. 

For December we will be cooking with Nutmeg, just in time for the holidays.  Nutmeg is a spice made from the seed of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrant), a native Indonesian evergreen tree that is the source of two popular spices: nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the inner seed, while mace is the red, lace-like substance that covers the seed. Nutmeg is a quintessential autumn spice, frequently found in fall desserts and beverages. It can also be used in savory dishes.  

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 has a very interesting history, dating all the way back to the 1st century A.D. It was a treasured spice, considered high currency for trade, and was even the cause of war; the Dutch conquested the Banda Islands, which ended in a massacre, to monopolize the nutmeg trade. This resulted in the establishment of the Dutch East India Company, an amalgamation of several Dutch trading companies.

Here are some ideas for how to use your nutmeg. 

Versatile Nutmeg: 30 Sweet and Savory Recipes

Bon Appetit's Best Nutmeg Recipes

15 Nutmeg-Spiked Recipes from Brit + Co

You will get an email when the kits are available.  

The Zoom link will be sent approximately an hour before the discussion starts.