Organic Mace Powder

Our organic mace powder or ground mace is a spice consisting of the dried aril of the nutmeg fruit of "Myristica fragrans", a tropical evergreen tree. It is used to flavour bakery, meat, and fish dishes. It is also used to flavour sauces and vegetables and in preserving and pickling.

Nutmeg trees are the only plant to give us two spices. Dill is the closest contestant with a spice (dill seeds) and an herb (dill weed). Nutmeg are the actual seeds of the tree while mace is what is known as an airl; the protective coating of the seed.

In the processing of mace, the crimson-coloured aril is removed from the nutmeg that it envelops and is flattened out and dried for 10 to 14 days; its colour changes to pale yellow, orange, or tan.

Mace figures prominently in Asian, Caribbean, Indian, and Moroccan cuisines, and is also used in British, Dutch, and French cooking. It is commonly found in spice blends and baked goods, as well as savory dishes like soups, sauces, and poultry and fish recipes.

"Myristica fragrans" is indigenous to the Moluccas Islands in Indonesia, also known as the Spice Islands. Grown extensively in other tropical regions, this plant can be found from China to Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, and South America. Although it is said mace arrived in Europe in the 12th century thanks to Arab merchants, it was the prosperous spice trade of the 16th century that made it more widely available around the world, alongside cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper.

Mace's flavor is sweet, woody, and warm, with a mild pungent kick, very much like nutmeg but softer and not quite as sweet. The taste of mace can also be described as a combination of cinnamon and pepper.

Did you know?

• The "mace" that is used as a defensive pepper spray has no relationship to the spice. It comes from the commercial name "Chemical Mace" that implied the chemicals could produce the same incapacitating effect as a medieval mace (a spiked club) but without causing the same brutal injuries.