Nutmeg and Mace - සාදික්කා සහ වසාවාසි

Nutmeg and Mace

සාදික්කා සහ වසාවාසි

 

The botanical name is Myristica fragrans.

The family is Myristicaceae.

Nutmeg is a valuable, aromatic spice derived from the seed of a tropical evergreen tree native to Indonesia's spice islands. Used in culinary (baking, savoury dishes) and traditional medicine, it is known for its warm taste, containing active compounds like myristicin andeugenol. It is native to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas, Indonesia. Dioecious (separate male and female trees) evergreen, reaching up to 20 meters, yielding fruit for over 60 years. The fruit provides two distinct spices: the seed itself (Nutmeg) and the red, lacy, fleshy covering (Mace), It is rich in essential oils with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The fruit, which resembles a yellow pear or apricot, splits open when ripe. The mace is removed, dried and sold separately, while the nut is dried for several weeks until the kernel rattles within the shell, which is then broken to extract the nutmeg seed. Originating from the same tree Nutmeg and Mace are siblings in the spice world, nutmeg is the oval-shaped fruit while the mace is the reddish webbing that wraps around the pit. Nutmeg and mace are perhaps most famous for their applications in desserts such as cakes and pies but also find themselves in quite a few savoury applications such as sausages or stews and are notably an essential ingredient for some seasonal Christmas beverages like eggnog.

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is the seed or ground spice derived from the seed of the tree species Myristica. Nutmeg contains variety of psychoactive chemicals including myristicin, elemicin, eugenol and safrole which are thought to be responsible for its psychoactive properties.

It contains;

Vitamin A

Vitamin C

Vitamin E

Manganese

Magnesium

Copper

Phosphorous

Zinc

Iron

A Powerful antioxidant

Has anti-inflammatory properties

Antimicrobial properties

Boosts mood