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Use Nutmeg Sparingly

A pinch of nutmeg should not be missing in mashed potatoes and the spice is also very popular in Christmas baking. However, excessive dosage of nutmeg can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as severe headaches. EAT SMARTER explains!

Use nutmeg sparingly

As with almost all foods, the same applies to nutmeg: the dose makes the poison! So you should use the nutmeg sparingly, like rubbing a pinch into the sauce or over the mashed potatoes.

Its ingredients, myristicin, and elemicin can cause intoxication-like states in humans when consumed in large quantities. In addition, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and cardiac arrest can also occur.

It’s in the nutmeg

The spice owes its great aroma and its slight spiciness to the essential oils. If you use nutmeg sparingly, it can also stimulate digestion.

Nutmeg in the kitchen

A little nutmeg gives light sauces and soups a great aroma. The spice also goes well with vegetables such as kohlrabi, cauliflower, spinach, and leeks!

The slightly grated nutmeg is particularly popular over mashed potatoes or with game and lamb dishes. Even sweet dishes such as pancakes, ice cream, or fruit salad benefit from the wonderful taste.

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Nutmeg: Origin, Effect and Use

Gingerbread or mulled wine would be unimaginable without nutmeg. But nutmeg goes well with many other dishes. Here we explain what you need to know about their ingredients and use.

Cultivation and origin of nutmeg

Strictly speaking, nutmeg is not a nut at all, but a seed from the nutmeg tree, which originally comes from Indonesia. The nutmeg that you find in stores in this country mostly comes from Africa or South America these days. Grenada is the main export country.

The five to eighteen meter high nutmeg tree is evergreen and very choosy: it does not like temperatures below 20 and above 30 degrees Celsius. It only bears the first fruits after eight years.

The seeds form from apricot-like fruits that burst open after about nine months, releasing the seed. The seed coat, called mace, is carefully removed and what remains is the core, which has to be dried for a few weeks until it separates from its shell.

Incidentally, nutmeg used to be a well-kept secret, which made the spice very expensive in the Middle Ages. The healing effects of nutmeg have long been appreciated.

Healing effects of nutmeg

Nutmeg is rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and sodium, as well as vitamin A, vitamin C and B complexes. Nutmeg also contains 16 percent essential oils. It is said to have the following healing effects:
Nutmeg is said to strengthen and strengthen the intestines, help with intestinal problems and stomach weakness and, due to special extracts, against flatulence.
Nutmeg is also said to help with gallbladder or liver weakness or cardiac insufficiency. But be careful, always consult a doctor first!
Nutmeg can have a calming and relaxing effect, for example in warm milk, so that it can also help with insomnia.
Early on, nutmeg was also considered a sexual enhancer and aphrodisiac.
Used on the skin – either in creams as nutmeg butter or as a powder stirred into warm water, nutmeg can also have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Nutmeg toxins

However, the first rule with nutmeg is: in moderation, not masses. Because nutmeg contains the toxic substance myristicin, which can have a hallucinogenic effect and can thus cause intoxication or even poisoning.

The intoxicating effect can start from around four grams of nutmeg. The condition can last up to 48 hours and comes with a number of unpleasant side effects:

Consumption can cause hallucinations.
Nutmeg in too large amounts can bring on stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
It also causes heart palpitations and headaches.
The effects of a nutmeg intoxication are unpredictable and can lead to horrific trips through the combination of physical symptoms and hallucinations.

Nutmeg contains small amounts of the substance safrole, which is suspected of being carcinogenic. Myristicin also inhibits a certain type of enzyme called MAO enzymes, which are responsible for breaking down norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin.

This inhibition makes “normal” foods toxic. These include tofu, aged cheese, smoked or dried meat or fish products, some types of wine, sauerkraut, products containing cocoa or caffeine, or alcohol.

Buying and Using Nutmeg

Nutmeg can be bought in various forms: as a whole fruit, which you can grate yourself with a nutmeg grater, as a ready-to-go powder or as nutmeg butter. However, nutmeg is also sold as an essential oil or in spice blends such as garam masala.

You should make sure to buy fair trade and organic spices. Whole nutmegs keep for three to four years with almost no loss of flavor and thus significantly longer than already grated nutmeg or nutmeg butter. With whole nutmegs you also avoid the risk of getting bad products: The humid climate in which the nutmeg tree grows promotes some molds that can circulate through illegal processing of infested fruit.

In the kitchen you can use nutmeg in many dishes:
Christmassy in gingerbread and mulled wine
sauces, in particular béchamel sauce
Mashed potatoes or similar potato dishes
Vegetables: For example spinach, cauliflower, carrots or kohlrabi
stews

Mazis: The “mace” from the seed coat

Less well known is mace: The spice is also incorrectly called mace, although mace is actually made from the seed coat of the nutmeg seeds. The aroma of mace is similar to that of nutmeg, only slightly milder.

However, mace loses its flavor much faster than nutmeg. Maze is sold either in powder form or in strips of flowers.

You can use mace in just as many ways as nutmeg: in a quiche, in a risotto, with potatoes or spinach or in pastries.

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Nutmeg Pumpkin: Useful Information and Tips For Preparation

The nutmeg is a large and impressive pumpkin. In this article you will learn more about the nutmeg pumpkin, valuable tips for the preparation as well as many different recipe ideas.

Nutmeg is also known as Muscade de Provence or Musk Squash. The artistically ribbed shell shines in the typical autumn colors from dark green to orange to light brown.

Nutmeg pumpkin contains many valuable ingredients:
potassium
calcium
zinc and
Vitamins of groups A, C, D and E.
The aromatic pulp of the nutmeg pumpkin gets its color from the high proportion of beta-carotene. Carotene is good for healthy skin, strong hair and eyesight.

Nutmeg pumpkin – you should know that

The nutmeg squash belongs to the musk squash family and is closely related to the butternut squash. The flesh is orange-red and smells pleasantly spicy.

Nutmeg pumpkins have a diameter of up to 50 centimeters and can weigh up to 40 kilograms. The round, ribbed shape is striking. The skin is initially green and gradually turns light brown until fully ripe.

The nutmeg pumpkin originally comes from Central and South America. In Europe, he prefers warmer growing areas such as Italy or France. In Central Europe, the cultivation of nutmeg is not so productive due to the comparatively lower temperatures.

In Germany, the nutmeg pumpkin season begins in September. Nutmeg pumpkin tastes best when it is not yet fully ripe. You can tell by the color of the shell – it should still be dark green. The skin of fully ripe nutmeg squash turns orange to beige.

Ripe nutmeg has a soft skin and fewer seeds than most other types of squash. This creates less waste and you can process more pulp into delicious dishes.

Tip: If you tap the skin of the nutmeg with your knuckle, you should hear a hollow sound. Then the degree of maturity is optimal. If the squash sounds dull when you tap it, it has already started to spoil.

Tips for storing nutmeg squash

Whole nutmeg squashes remain edible for more than half a year when stored in a cool and dry place – for example in the cellar or in the cool pantry.

However, since the nutmeg pumpkin is very large and heavy, you will often find wedges that have been cut open and wrapped in plastic in the supermarket. Once cut, the nutmeg squash, which otherwise stores well, only stays fresh for three to four days in the refrigerator.

You can find unpackaged, organic nutmeg squash at local farmers’ markets and direct sellers. Buy locally grown nutmeg squash. Regional products have shorter transport routes behind them and are therefore better for the climate.

Attention: When buying, make sure that the skin of the nutmeg pumpkin is undamaged. Only then can it be stored longer.

Tip: extend the shelf life of cut nutmeg squash in the freezer. Freeze the diced nutmeg in batches. This allows you to prepare the pumpkin particularly quickly in the kitchen if necessary.

Peel nutmeg pumpkin: This is how it works

The skin of nutmeg is significantly thinner than that of many other types of pumpkin. However, you should peel the nutmeg squash, as the peel requires a significantly longer cooking time than the pumpkin flesh.

How to peel nutmeg pumpkin:
Use the indentations in the nutmeg squash and use a large knife to cut out wedges from the squash.
Remove the pips and the fibrous pulp around the pips with a spoon.
Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the skin off the pumpkin wedge.
You can then simply grate, slice or dice the pumpkin wedges as instructed in the recipe.

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