rarity It’s both somewhat pungent from gingerol and relatives (paradols, shogaols), and faintly but pleasantly aromatic, with woody and evergreen notes (humulone and caryophyllene) It is a component of the Moroccan spice mixture ras el hanout, and can serve as an interesting alternative to black pepper Mace and Nutmeg Mace and nutmeg have similar aromas and come from the same source: the fruit of a tropical Asian tree, Myristica fragrans, which appears to have originated in New Guinea Along with cloves, nutmeg put the Spice Islands, the Malaccas that are now part of Indonesia, on the maps of European sea powers The Portuguese and then the Dutch monopolized the nutmeg trade until the 19th century, when the tree was successfully planted in the Caribbean and elsewhere Nutmeg and mace didn’t make much of an impression on European foods until the Middle Ages Today they provide the characteristic flavoring for doughnuts and eggnog, and are added to hot dogs and other sausages Nutmeg is also an important element of the classic French béchamel sauce Both nutmeg and mace are borne inside the plum-to peach-sized fruits of the tree When the fruit is ripe, it splits to reveal a shiny, brown-black shell; and entwined around the shell, a narrow, irregular, bright red ribbon The red ribbon is an aril, a fruit part whose color and sugars attract birds to carry it and the seed away The aril is the spice called mace, and the seed inside the shell is the nutmeg The aril is removed from the shell and dried separately The aroma compounds in nutmeg are concentrated in a layer of oilcontaining tissue that weaves through the seed’s main body of starchy and fatty storage tissue, which also contains astringent tannins Nutmeg and mace have similar but distinct flavors, with mace the gentler and more ... shell, a narrow, irregular, bright red ribbon The red ribbon is an aril, a fruit part whose color and sugars attract birds to carry it and the seed away The aril is the spice called mace, and the seed inside the shell is the nutmeg The aril is removed from the shell...until the Middle Ages Today they provide the characteristic flavoring for doughnuts and eggnog, and are added to hot dogs and other sausages Nutmeg is also an important element of the classic French béchamel sauce... The aril is removed from the shell and dried separately The aroma compounds in nutmeg are concentrated in a layer of oilcontaining tissue that weaves through the seed’s main body of starchy and fatty storage