Organic Ground Nutmeg Standard Jar - 40g Steenbergs details and description

Steenbergs Organic Nutmeg Powder is a glorious rendition of this almost mythical spice, for which countries went to war and the Netherlands gave Manhattan Island to Britain in exchange for some nutmeg islands.  Organic nutmeg is an under used spice with a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm, slightly sweet taste. Traditionally organic nutmeg used in baking and puddings, nutmeg powder can be sprinkled on any cooked vegetable. Just add butter, some lemon and Steenbergs organic ground nutmeg to steamed spinach to lift its flavour. Alternatively, you can make a Caribbean-style barbecue marinade rub based on an organic nutmeg-ginger base. Steenbergs organic ground nutmeg - or organic nutmeg powder - comes from either Indonesia or Sri Lanka.

Nutmeg spice comes from the nutmeg tree, Myristica fragrans, which was originally native only to the Banda Islands in Indonesia. Nutmeg trees are a tropical evergreen tree that grow some 7-10 metres high (23-33ft), and have shiny green leaves that are dark on the upper side and pale-green beneath. Nutmeg trees are male or female and one male tree is needed per 10 female trees, so that the female trees can be fertilised and then bear fruit. Unwanted male trees are thinned out from the nutmeg plantation. Nutmeg trees become fully mature after 15 years and are fruitful for 40 years. When the fruit has developed, it looks like a yellow nectarine. When the fruit is ripe, the fruit is picked and the flesh cut off the shell, making sure the shiny, blood-red mace aril on the outside is not removed or damaged. My photos on my blog show this quite well. After the mace has been peeled from the nutmeg shell, the nutmeg nutcase is dried further; once it is dry, the nutmeg seed rattles within the smooth outer shell. We are sometimes offered these nutmeg nuts (i.e. nutmeg seed and outer shell) by spice traders or sometimes the nutmeg seed is called broken nutmeg, i.e. the shell has been broken and removed. The nut is the spice we all know as nutmeg; it is a dull brown, wrinkled and hard. Nutmeg on its own has a mild warm flavour, but the best is to grind the nutmeg as you need it, which releases its volatile oils from the oil-containing veins within the nut (you can see these developing as you grind them through a symmetrical light and dark-brown pattern through the seed lengthways). Nutmeg's aroma is warm, aromatic and gently pleasing, while its flavour is also warming but has some sweetness. For more on nutmeg, dig for information with Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages or Wikipedia.

Nutmeg has a warm full-bodied flavour that complements a wide diversity of doods from baked goods to milk puddings, or green vegetables like spinach, or it goes well with fish or hot chocolate. However, nutmeg has a strong flavour that should be used sparingly. For more ideas on using nutmeg, look at Steenbergs Recipe Site and type in "Nutmeg" or visit Allrecipes or BBC Websites.

Organic nutmeg powder is part of the Steenbergs range of over 400 organic spices, organic pepper, organic herbs, organic flavoured sugars, organic extracts and flavours and teas. Steenbergs blends and packs its ingredients at its factory in Ripon, North Yorkshire, and is a small family-owned business. For your local stockist click on "Where to see us", or call on 01765 640 088 or email enquiries@steenbergs.co.uk.