MACE POWDER

Description

Profile: It's the lacy nutmeg cousin. Yes, you've heard. But have you ever tried?

Mace has a similar warm, spicy flavor like nutmeg. Mace has a strong perfume of pepper & cinnamon combined.

Details: 

The aril is a lacy, apricot-colored netting that surrounds the nutmeg kernel in the fruit. Mace is the second spice after nutmeg. This spice was vital to the Dutch trading routes throughout Europe. While it may be cultivated in India and other parts of Asia, approximately half of the world's harvest is grown on Grenada's tiny island.

Mace is nutmeg's refined older sister. It has a lively, toasty flavor reminiscent of nutmeg, but much stronger. Its faint citrus, clove, and floral smells infiltrate a dish with the subtlety of a shin kick. To avoid a bitter aftertaste, mace is best mixed with other spices and honey.

Cooking:

Mace, like nutmeg, is used to flavor sweets and savory meals. Meats, sauces, curries, pickling, ketchup, and even Worcestershire sauce are examples. Mace likes to be in fatty meals. Soups, soufflés, and puddings all benefit from mace's distinct flavor.

Mace can replace nutmeg in most recipes. This spice is sweeter and gentler than nutmeg. Nutmeg is commonly replaced with mace when dark specks of nutmeg impair the look of certain recipes. In light colored sauces, clear broths, omelets, and mashed potatoes, use ground mace flavor. Its essential oils, flavor, and scent are released when mace is processed into powder. Mace should be introduced early in the cooking process to bring out its full taste.

Myristica franrans, a mayriticaceae member, produces mace. This Indonesian native grows up to 30 feet tall as a tropical evergreen. Also known as nutmeg, this tree's fruit is also used.