Eggnog and nutmeg always went together at the holiday season when I was growing up. Now I live on a Caribbean island that has nutmeg in abundance! Since many people buy nutmeg in powdered form from the spice shelf in the grocery, they may not realize how unique this nut is.
In medieval times, nutmeg flavored European cuisine and was used as a preservative and medicine—it was even believed that a nutmeg could prevent people from contracting the plague, which is consistent with its curative properties!
The whole nutmeg lies within a shell that is covered with a membrane. The membrane is used as a spice as well called mace. Once the shell is broken, grating the whole nutmeg releases the most aromatic of smells and adds amazing flavor to baked goods and drinks.
Essential oil of nutmeg is also a magic potion. It is claimed that nutmeg is an analgesic which relieves pain; an anti-rheumatic for rheumatism relief; an anti-septic for preventing infection; an anti-spasmodic for relieving muscle spasms; a carminative for relieving gas; a stimulant for aiding circulation and digestion as well as toning the organs; an anti-oxidant for cleaning toxicity in the body; an anti-depressant and nervine for relieving depression and calming the nerves; and anti-microbial, bactericidal, fungicidal for killing germs, bacteria, and fungus; an insect repellant.
Doesn’t that give you a whole new way of looking at the world of the nutmeg?
