Description
- Nutmeg, (Myristica fragrans), tropical evergreen tree (family Myristicaceae) and the spice made of its seed.
- The tree is native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia and is principally cultivated there and in the West Indies.
- The spice nutmeg has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavour many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog.
- The fleshy arils surrounding the nutmeg seed are the source of the spice mace.
- Dried nutmegs are grayish brown ovals with furrowed surfaces.
