The Science of Spice

106 Spice Profiles

Native only to the tiny Banda Islands

in the Moluccas (Maluku) archipelago

of Indonesia, mace was being traded

with the Byzantine empire by the

6th century ce, where it was widely

valued as a cure-all, food preservative,

fumigant, and aphrodisiac. By the

Middle Ages, mace had become one of

the most sought-after and expensive

spices of European cuisine. The

appetite for these spices prompted a

centuries-long, bloody power struggle

between the Portuguese, Dutch, and

English to gain control of the growing

regions. Eventually, the English

managed to establish their own supply

by successfully transplanting nutmeg

trees, along with their soil, to several of

their colonies, including Grenada and

Sri Lanka. With greater availability,

nutmeg and mace overtook saffron

and mustard as the spices of choice

in Western cuisine, with mace more

common (and cheaper) than nutmeg.

Region of cultivation

Mace is cultivated across the Maluku

(Moluccas) archipelago of Indonesia, and also

in Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the Caribbean

• notably Grenada, which features an image of
  nutmeg and mace on its national flag.

The plant

Mace is from a tropical tree that

bears two spices: the inner seed

kernel (nutmeg) and the seed’s

sheath-like covering (mace). Powder

Pre-ground

mace keeps

reasonably

well, although

subtler flavours

are lacking.

Whole

Dried arils, or pieces thereof, are known

as blades. Orange-red blades tend to be

from Indonesia, while Grenadian blades

are dried to a paler orange-yellow.

Bell-shaped

flowers have

pale yellow,

waxy petals

Grooved

fruits

resemble

apricots

BOTANICAL NAME

Myristica fragrans

PARTS USED

Aril (seed covering) of the nutmeg seed.

MAJOR FLAVOUR COMPOUND

Sabinene.

METHOD OF CULTIVATION

Ripe fruits are often harvested from

trees using a long pole with a basket

attached, called a gai-gai.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION

The split fruit reveals a nutmeg seed with

a plasticky, scarlet-red covering called an aril.

The leathery aril is peeled off, pressed and

dried. Grenadian mace is traditionally

“cured” in the dark for several months.

Mace is then either ground or sold whole

as “blades” after drying

NON-CULINARY USES

In perfumes, soaps, and shampoos;

in traditional medicine to relieve

bronchial disorders and rheumatism,

aid digestion, and improve circulation.

MACE

Sweet | Warm | Aromatic

Spice story

SRI LANKA

MALUKU ISLANDS

Blades exude oil when

pressed with a fingernail

106-107_Mace.indd 106 13/06/2018 16:24