Editing Nutmeg (section)

== Common nutmeg ==
Nutmeg is the spice made by grinding the seed of the fragrant nutmeg tree (''[[Myristica fragrans]]'') 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, [[pudding]]s, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, and vegetables, and beverages such as [[eggnog]].<ref name="ebo">{{cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422816/nutmeg | title = Nutmeg spice| encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online| date = 12 August 2024}}</ref>

The seeds are dried gradually in the sun over a period of 15 to 30 weeks. During this time, the nutmeg shrinks away from its hard seed coat until the kernels rattle in their shells when shaken. The shell is then broken with a wooden club and the nutmegs are picked out. Dried nutmegs are greenish brown ovoids with furrowed surfaces.<ref name=ebo/> The nutmegs are roughly egg-shaped, about {{Convert|20.5-30|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{Convert|15-18|mm|in|abbr=on}} wide, weighing {{Convert|5-10|g|oz|abbr=on}} dried.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Myristica |url=https://floracostaricensis.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/19576/descriptions |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=floracostaricensis.myspecies.info |language=en}}</ref>

Two other species of genus ''Myristica'' with different flavors, ''[[Myristica malabarica|M. malabarica]]'' and ''[[Myristica argentea|M. argentea]]'', are sometimes used to adulterate nutmeg as a spice.<ref name=clovegarden>{{cite web |url=http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/sp_nutmegz.html |title=Nutmeg |website=www.clovegarden.com |access-date=2017-07-22 |archive-date=2017-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218033425/http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/sp_nutmegz.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Mace ===
[[File:Mace (জয়িত্রি).JPG|thumb|upright|Mace]]
Mace is the spice made from the reddish seed covering ([[aril]]) of the nutmeg seed. Its flavour is similar to that of nutmeg but more delicate; it is used to flavour baked goods, meat, fish, and vegetables, and in preserving and pickling.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ernest|last=Small|date=2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA420|title=Top 100 Exotic Food Plants|page=420|isbn=978-1439856864|publisher=CRC Press|access-date=2019-08-27|archive-date=2023-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630115034/https://books.google.com/books?id=Au3RBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA420|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the processing of mace, the crimson-colored aril is removed from the nutmeg seed that it envelops and is flattened out and dried for 10 to 14 days. Its color changes to pale yellow, orange, or tan. Whole dry mace consists of flat pieces—smooth, horn-like, and brittle—about {{convert|40|mm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/mace-spice | title = Mace spice| encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Online}}</ref>